


I keep being drawn to you

by s-kiz (pigalle)



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Bang Chan-centric, Being Walked In On, Boys in Skirts, Canon Universe, Cats, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Kissing, Lee Minho | Lee Know-centric, M/M, Making Out, Minchan Month, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Secret Relationship, Truth or Dare, poor hyunjin :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 30,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26661634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pigalle/pseuds/s-kiz
Summary: A collection of 23 fics for Chan and Minho's birthdays and all the days inbetween“I know it’s my birthday, but do we really have to do this here with all people?”“My my,” Minho tsks, unable to help teasing a bit, “what exactly do you think will happen?”The tips of Chan’s ears flush a deep read, and he looks away from Minho. “You’re the one teasing, so what am I supposed to think?”Minho tilts his head to the side and leans closer, a playful pout on his lips. “I just wanna dance with you.”-Day 20 - Chan can't stop thinking about it. Minho's mouth during the truth or dare game, his hand in his hair, his hand on his neck. Minho (accidentally) choking him does not help.Day 21 - Chan's computer broke, and he just wants cuddles and reassurance from his boyfriend. But Minho is sleeping under his bed, so there's really only one thing he can do. (Yes, join him, he couldn't possibly wake him up.)Day 22 - As if everything had been a dream, nothing happens when Minho steps inside the mushroom ring. With a sense that he's missing something, he dreams of Chan, of being there, of coming home.Day 23 - Water is wet, the sun is hot, and Bang Chan is in love with Lee Minho.
Relationships: Bang Chan & Lee Minho | Lee Know, Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 59
Kudos: 257
Collections: Stray Kids Femslash





	1. Contents

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I'll actually post one fic here each day from now to the 25th!
> 
> This happened because I found out about the [Minchan birthday zine](https://twitter.com/minchanzine) too late to apply but still wanted to be a part of it so I decided to just do it myself
> 
> There are 23 individual fics, and a list of them all in the first chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title for each fic is from the song quoted in the beginning of it
> 
> You can find me on [tumblr](https://s-kiz.tumblr.com) (s-kiz) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/bangpeachchan) (bangpeachchan)!

> _I can’t see anyone_  
>  _around us anymore, you’re just growing more clear_  
>  _Everything on this road_  
>  _is blurred and faded out except for you_
> 
> Hello Stranger — Stray Kids

Day 1 - _Gonna start a fire, Gonna get hotter_  
Guys, "friends" is supposed to be a platonic term.  
Chan's birthday, alternate universe, Minho POV.

Day 2 - _I just wanna taste it_  
Minho injured his hand, so Chan helps him eat.  
Canon universe, Minho POV.

Day 3 - _I'll STAY in your heart_  
Chan has a headache from staring at a screen for too long, so he goes to bother Minho during his vlive instead.  
Canon universe, established relationship, Chan POV.

Day 4 - _Will you stay in the same place as me?_  
Minho adopts a cat and moves in with Chan. It's _definitely_ not because they're dating.  
College/university, mistaken for being in a relationship, Minho POV.

Day 5 - _Imprint those flavors on your palate  
_They go to a barbeque later that same day - perhaps someone should have reminded Minho and Chan that they were not alone.  
Continuation of Day 2 _I just wanna taste it_ , Minho POV.

Day 6 - _And there it is, the hare._  
There's just something so surreal about those late night hours and you're standing outside and there's no one else around but a forest animal.  
Urban fantasy, ambiguous/open ending, Minho POV.

Day 7 - _I need you right by my side now  
_Minho wakes up in the middle of the night, and finds Chan working on the couch. He swears he'll just wait for Chan to finish so he's sure he goes to bed. He will not fall asleep on the couch. (Well...)  
Canon universe, secret relationship, Minho POV..

Day 8 - _The two of us trippin’ together_  
You can admire your friends, but you don't see stars in their eyes. You don't need their kiss more than you need air to breath.  
Minho and Chan goes on a train trip and discovers themselves as a single concept.  
Best friends minchan, alternate universe, Chan POV.

Day 9 - _I was a sand castle in the snow field_  
There is something to be said about leaving your boyfriend for the girl he was thirsting after. Minhee doesn't have much care for what that is. Not when she's here, she has Chanmi, and everything is right in the world.  
Lesbian minchan, based on the full distracted boyfriend meme, Minho POV.

Day 10 - _I promised I wouldn’t let go_  
Minho finds two kittens in the rain and brings them to the dorm. Featuring the unsexy kind of showering together because you are just trying to save two wet and dirty kittens.  
Canon universe, Minho POV.

Day 11 - _Who are you to do this to me?_  
Chan shares a class with the cute guy he meets at the university health center. He just wishes he was more awake than being seconds away from passing out...  
College/university, Chan POV.

Day 12 - _I want to live with bright dreams_  
Minho does in fact get a cold, but that's okay, because then he can just cuddle with the kittens the whole days.  
Continuation of Day 10, canon universe, Minho POV.

Day 13 - _Like awkward silence_  
Chan's music class has a collaboration with the dance class. Of course, with his luck, he's partnered with the guy he slept with the other day, and made a total fool out of himself when he farted.  
College/university, Chan POV.

Day 14 - _All day, making a story that won’t ever end_  
The kittens stay, and Chan goes one vlive with CATS before Minho??!  
Continuation of Day 10 and 12, canon Universe, Minho POV.

Day 15 - _The way that gaze of you looks at me_  
Their game of truth or dare goes south faster than even Chan would have thought was possible.  
Canon universe, Chan POV.

Day 16 - _Leaving longing in its wake_  
Minho steps back inside the fairy ring, because he has questions but no answers.  
Urban fantasy, continuation of Day 6, Minho POV.

Day 17 - _You’re here, so it’s getting warmer_  
Chan should have realised that Minho would come and flop on top of him saying he's his "sleep paralysis demon" after he said that during Minho's heart kids room.  
Canon universe, continuation of Day 7, Chan POV.

Day 18 - _A hunter who keeps chasing only dreams_  
Chan hears, "In front of us, in the skirt," and doesn't realise that he's the one in front of them in the skirt. And clearly the person saying it doesn't either - cue embarrassment.  
College/university, Chan POV.

Day 19 - _It’s in my head, making me dizzy, go away hey_  
Chan has just gotten over his cold, so it should be all fine to get all assignments done. And yet, the itching just under his skin tells him that he's not doing _enough,_ and he's _slipping behind,_ and everything is just _too much._ Minho barges in uninvited and forces him to just take it one thing at a time.  
College/university, Chan POV.

Day 20 - _Confused, confused_  
Chan can't stop thinking about it. Minho's mouth during the truth or dare game, his hand in his hair, his hand on his neck. Minho (accidentally) choking him does not help.  
Canon universe, continuation of Day 15, Chan POV.

Day 21 - _But now I’m reaching my hand out to you_  
Chan's computer broke, and he just wants cuddles and reassurance from his boyfriend. But Minho is sleeping under his bed, so there's really only one thing he can do. (Yes, join him, he couldn't possibly wake him up.)  
Canon universe, continuation of Day 7 and 17, Chan POV.

Day 22 - _Sensing home on your tongue_  
As if everything had been a dream, nothing happens when Minho steps inside the mushroom ring. With a sense that he's missing something, he dreams of Chan, of being there, of coming home.  
Urban fantasy, continuation of Day 6 and 16, Minho POV.

Day 23 - _All of the memories of loving you_  
Water is wet, the sun is hot, and Bang Chan is in love with Lee Minho.  
Minho's birthday, continuation of Day 1, Chan POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... I naively thought I'd have every fic planned out, if not even written, before today, but I clearly don't, so if you have suggestion, leave them in the comments?
> 
> Completely unrelated to everything: Soonie, Doongie, Dori, and Kkami have tags, buT BERRY DOESN'T!


	2. Day 1 - Gonna start a fire, Gonna get hotter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guys, "friends" is supposed to be a platonic term.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1.4k words
> 
> They're just friends :) :) :) ;)

> _Can’t figure out my own feelings, mysterious of you  
>  _ _The way that gaze of you looks at me  
>  _ _Let me say wow_
> 
> Wow — Stray Kids

The only reason Minho is actually even there is because it’s Chan’s birthday, and he had asked. Not even his best friend Jisung could get him to come to a party if he didn’t want to, but somehow Chan had convinced him that it would be fine, that there wouldn’t be  _ that _ many people there, and that he would know most of them.

Chan had  _ lied _ because of course he did. All men do is lie. (Yes, the irony of that is not lost on him, thank you very much.)

There’s a lot of people there, and he doesn’t know most of them, even if Chan would protest if he were to mention it to him. Vaguely knowing that someone exists and is a friend of Chan is not knowing them, but try to convince Chan of that…

The least Chan can do to make up for it is spend some time with Minho. And yet Minho has not seen Chan for almost two hours now. It’s not like he can leave either, because he hasn’t even given Chan his present yet.

Instead he dances with Felix and Hyunjin, and occasionally gets pulled in with Yugyeom, one of Chan’s friends who seem to think that he and Minho know each other  _ a lot _ more than they actually do. Whatever, it’s fine. It’s not like Minho is shy or doesn’t like crowds or something, like Jisung, he just doesn’t see a reason to be sweaty and cramped in with a ton of people he doesn’t know. 

Why Jisung had even wanted to come knowing that there would be a lot of people here is still a mystery to Minho. Every time he’s gone to check up on him he’s been in the kitchen, accompanied by either Chanbin, Seungmin or Jeongin. One time he’s pretty sure he saw him with Hyunjin, but when he reached Jisung there was no trace of the other boy, and Jisung didn’t say anything about it. (Whatever, it’s none of Minho’s business if Jisung wants to be getting cozy with the boy he pretends is his rival. It will only lead to calmer times with them all in the future.)

He’s caught a glance of Chan at least twice the last half an hour but lost sight of him in the sea of people before he could reach him, so when he sees him next he doesn’t let his eyes leave his form. Chan startles slightly when Minho wraps his arms around him from the back, but gives him a smile when he turns his head around and sees who it is.

“Hi.”

“You’re too elusive,” Minho comments, tightening his grip slightly. “I’ve been looking for you for like 2 hours.”

“Sorry,” Chan says, patting Minho’s hands. “I had a lot of people to greet.”

“Yeah,” Minho huffs, “because you’re a liar who said there wouldn’t be a lot of people here.”

“This isn’t a lot of people!” Chan protests, as if they aren’t almost squished against the wall. “And you do know these people!”

“Oh Channie…” Minho puts his chin on Chan’s shoulder and relishes in the shudder Chan lets out when Minho’s breath fans out against his neck. “ _ You _ know these people, don’t mistake that for  _ me _ knowing them.”

“Sorry,” Chan says again, but decidedly less stable.

Minho humms, and turns his head more towards Chan, so his nose brushes against his ear. “I wanted to give you your present. If you’re willing to give me an early present now.”

Chan shudders again and Minho grins widely. It’s not the first time he’s teased Chan like this, and it certainly won’t be the last. The only uncertainty is exactly where it will lead — there’s two options, and Minho knows which one he wants, but it is up to Chan, since it is his birthday after all.

“Dance with me?” he asks when Chan doesn’t say anything.

“Here, or…”

Minho throws a glance around them. They’re towards one of the corners, at the edge of the room. There is definitely space for them to dance where they’re standing, and making their way further into the room would involve pushing past people.

“Here is fine,” Minho says and turns Chan around so he can hook his arms over his shoulders and lace his fingers together behind Chan’s head.

Chan huffs out a laugh and tries to push Minho back so they’re not standing so close, but he’s not doing it with enough strength to actually move Minho, meaning he’s just embarrassed.

“I know it’s my birthday, but do we really have to do this here with all people?”

“My my,” Minho tsks, unable to help teasing a bit, “what exactly do you think will happen?”

The tips of Chan’s ears flush a deep read, and he looks away from Minho. “You’re the one teasing, so what am I supposed to think?”

Minho tilts his head to the side and leans closer, a playful pout on his lips. “I just wanna dance with you.”

Someone brushes against Minho’s back while moving past them, and he hears, “the horizontal tango,” being muttered. He whips around to see who it was, but no one is paying them any attention.

When he turns back to Chan, he’s practically folded in half from laughter, and when he catches a glance at Minho’s face he’s sent into another fit of laughter.

“That’s not what I was talking about!” The absurdity of the situation is creeping up on Minho too, and he can’t hold in the laughter any longer. “I really do just want to dance with you!”

“I know,” Chan says between giggles, “it was just so funny, because it’s not like we haven’t—”

“Oh, so that is what you want!” Minho shakes the laughter off to crowd Chan against the wall where he has nowhere to escape.

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Chan protests, but he doesn’t make a move to push Minho away.

“Hm, not convinced.”

Chan glances down at Minho’s lips so quickly he almost misses it. “Can’t say I feel like fixing that.”

“ _ That’s not what I meant _ , my ass,” Minho mutters and pushes their lips together.

Chan hums against him and pulls him closer by his hips.

Someone lets out a wolf whistle behind them, but Minho doesn't let Chan pull back to see who it is. It's not like it's the first time they've kissed in front of their friends, or like they care what they think about them doing it. To each their own, you know?

(Jisung does have a few choice words about it, but that's only because Minho pesters him that he should stop pretending like he hates Hyunjin.)

(And perhaps Changbin has said once or twice that they should stop being cowards and just start dating. But that's only because for some reason he finds Minho less scary than Chan. He'd been cowering away from Minho when he said it, though, so he seriously doubts the truth in that statement.)

Chan does this thing where he sighs into Minho's mouth before he deepens the kiss, one hand tugging on the fabric of Minho's shirt. Minho sneaks one hand up his neck and  _ tugs _ on his hair.

He swallows the sound Chan lets out, any other remnants of it lost to the music playing in the room.

The next time Chan goes to pull back Minho lets him.

"So this is your present to me?" Chan asks, but he's staring at Minho's lips and doesn't seem dissatisfied with it.

“Actually, I do have a proper present, but I forgot it at home.”

Chan places a hand on his chest in mock hurt. “Was it all just a distraction?”

“You know it wasn’t, baby,” Minho says, as sultry as he can, enjoying seeing Chan cringe at him.

"It's my birthday, can't I be spared your teasing  _ for once _ ?" He doesn't look like he believes Minho will stop, so Minho shakes his head with a grin.

"Never, darling."

Someone clears their throat just behind them and Minho clearly hears Changbin's voice say, "Just date already."

Minho swirls around to glare at him, but he doesn't get further, Chan wrapping his arms around him and pulling him towards his chest.

Chan's next words almost makes Minho choke, but he refrains from giving any reaction, playing along with it. "Bold of you to assume we aren't already."

So that Minho can't protest, most likely, he pulls them back into a kiss.

They should probably talk about it. But later.

He lets the word form against Chan's lips, a promise to them both.  _ Later. _

(And it's not like Minho would mind dating Chan.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was probably really teasing, but I couldn't help myself ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	3. Day 2 - I just wanna taste it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho injured his hand, so Chan helps him eat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 800 words

> _Cooking a sauce, get all you want  
>  _ _Savor it, lick it, say it, bon  
>  _ _Taste so good, everyone loves it_
> 
> God’s Menu — Stray Kids

Minho struggles with the chopsticks only for a few seconds before giving up. He contemplates just saying fuck it and eating his ramyeon like a cat, but that would be so messy and he  _ just _ changed into this shirt.

He cradles his injured hand against his chest to let it rest, and shouts, “Jisung-ah!”

There’s no reply, only the low sound of the chair scraping against the floor as Minho pushes it out from the table.

His hand is only injured because he was a little bit stupid earlier and burnt it while cooking. And then slammed it against the edge of the stove when his knee-jerk reaction had pulled back from the heat. After rinsing his hand in cold water for some time he’d mostly just felt the throbbing in his wrists and fingers from hitting it, but he’d had a few blisters on his palm and some on his fingers.

All in all, there hadn’t been any problem continuing to prepare the ramyeon, but as soon as he picked up the chopsticks he’d realised there would be a problem.

“Jisung-ah!” he shouts again, when a full minute has passed and he’s had no reaction from anyone. Even if Jisung isn’t home — which seems likely by now — someone else should be hearing him shout and come wonder why, right?

Maybe that’s just the little devil on his shoulder thinking because he’s older than but one of them.

“Yah!” he tries again, a few decibels higher and some degrees angrier.

And finally, he hears a door open somewhere. But…

“Stop shouting,” Felix shouts at him.

“Where’s Jisung-ah?” Minho shouts back.

“At the company,” Felix shouts again (really, wasn’t he the one telling Minho to stop shouting?), and then the door closes.

“Yah, Yongbokkie!” he tries, but he knows he won’t get an answer this time.

So, he does the only sensible thing: he turns back to his ramyeon and wonders what the least messy way to slurp them like a cat would be.

“Uh, not to be like that,” a voice says from the entrance to the living room, “but you’re not a cat, and you have a pair of perfectly usable chopsticks right next to you.”

Minho turns his head up and finds Chan frowning at him.

“I can’t.”

“Use the chopsticks?” Chan asks, and sounds understandable confused.

“Yes,” Minho says, and feels like not providing any context.

“Why?” Chan asks, taking his bait, and walks over to take a seat opposite Minho at the table.

Instead of answering, Minho places his hand on the table. Chan looks at it with confusion for a moment before he clearly notices the blisters. His eyes widen and he reaches forward to take Minho’s hand in his own, gently turning the palm up.

“Have you put on burn cream?”

“Yes, and rinsed it in cold water,” Minho says, “I know how to take care of a burn. I kind of also hit it against the edge of the stove though, so now it’s throbbing.”

Chan frowns, because he’s sympathetical like that, and says, “Oh.”

Minho expects him to add something like, “so that’s why you can’t use the chopsticks”, but instead he just scoots his chair around the edge of the table so he’s sitting next to Minho, and picks up his chopsticks. He twirls some of the noodles until he has a good grip and then holds them up to Minho’s mouth.

“Say ‘ah’.”

Minho of course doesn’t say “ah”, but he does open his mouth to let Chan feed him. He’s hungry, sue him, and this is exactly what he’d hoped for when he shouted for Jisung.

Like that, Chan keeps feeding him until he’s finished about half of the ramyeon.

“Is it good?” he asks, when Minho has just finished chewing. He hasn’t picked up any more noodles, and the look he’s giving Minho is just ...weird.

Minho swallows, and says, “Why don’t you taste for yourself?” He knows he has a little smirk on his lips, but he doesn’t expect the sudden dark look in Chan’s eyes, or him glancing down at Minho’s lips.

“Maybe I will.” Chan says, and turns his gaze back to Minho’s eyes.

Minho raises an eyebrow in challenge, and leans just slightly closer to Chan — enough that it’s noticeable if he’s looking for it, but not if he’s not. “Go ahead, then.”

Chan pulls in a sharp breath and meets Minho halfway, sealing his lips over Minho’s. His tongue is warm when it pokes into his mouth, pulling an involuntary sound from Minho that he is quick to swallow.

“Mm,” Chan hums and pulls back slightly, “tasty.”

“Are you sure?” Minho smirks. “I’m not sure you could get a good enough taste just now.”

“Ah, I’ll just have to try it again, yeah?”

He slots their lips back together, and this time Minho is ready with his lips slightly parted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally going for established relationship and pecks but yeah
> 
> a continuation is coming in a few days <3


	4. Day 3 - I'll STAY in your heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan has a headache from staring at a screen for too long, so he goes to bother Minho during his vlive instead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 800 words

> _Yeah, we were always in the same place together  
>  It feels as if times flies  
>  Cramming memories within this tight schedule _
> 
> You Can STAY - Stray Kids

Chan wants to be productive, he really does — there’s an urge in his fingers, in his  _ bones _ to write, write, write. So he’s in his studio, and the track he’s working on is going  _ well _ , it really is. So it’s so frustrating that his eyes are starting to ache and he’s getting a headache from looking at the screen. He’s fully aware that it is because he stayed in the studio all day yesterday, and didn’t sleep enough last night, but it’s still so  _ frustrating _ !

But he can’t continue like this, aware that he will make it worse if he continues. But going back to the dorm is not an option, not with the jitter coming over him at the mere thought of  _ not getting anything done _ .

He needs a different option.

The closest would be Minho. He’s in the dance studio just a floor down, but he is also currently doing a vlive. Chan has had it on in the background on his phone, even though he hasn’t been able to hear anything, and he’s barely looked at the screen.

Maybe it would be fine. He doesn’t feel like having to be on camera, not with his bare face. He could probably stay behind the camera, but then what would be the point?

He still walks over there. He puts his airpods in and watches Minho talk, sitting on the floor just in front of the camera, his back to the door.

It’s too tempting to ignore.

He pauses outside the door, pockets his phone and peers inside. Minho still has his back to the door.

Chan opens the door slowly, so he’ll not make any noise. He’s not sure when exactly he’ll be visible for the viewer, or even how much attention Minho is paying to the playback. There’s a very real possibility that Minho will see him on the screen, or that Stay will rat him out.

He puts his finger to his mouth, asking them to not say anything, and creeps further into the room. He’s standing a few steps behind Minho when he reads out loud, “Who’s that standing behind you? Hah, very funny, there is no one the-”

He turns around as he says it, and cuts himself off with a very shrill scream. Chan can’t help but laugh at his expression, even as Minho clutches at his heart and tries to glare Chan down. His back is to the camera now, so he mouths “fuck you” but says, “What are you doing, hyung?”

“Thought I’d come and bother you!” Chan says with a cheery smile, bending down to wave at Stay. The comments are passing too fast on the screen for him to be able to catch any of them.

He moves behind the camera and sits down. “Don’t mind me, continue where you were.”

Minho huffs but turns back to Stay. “I hate that guy,” he stage whispers, as if Chan can’t hear him. But even as he does, he takes his phone out and types something, Chan’s phone buzzing a moment later.

You okay?   
I thought you said you were gonna be in the studio for a few hours more

I’m fine, just got a little headache so I should avoid screens

Minho gives another huff but puts his phone away without writing anything else.

Chan feels like teasing him some more, so he says, “You know, I can hear you, and I’m pretty sure that’s a lie. You love me~”

Minho narrows his eyes, looking at Chan over the camera. “I don’t, you must have imagined it. You’re a menace.”

Chan laughs, knowing he doesn’t mean it. A little louder, he asks, “Stay, what do you think? Does Minho love or hate me?” He takes his phone out to see what they say, and promptly laughs at the sheer amount of people saying that clearly Minho loves him. Some are saying he’s just trying to keep his tsundere image intact.

“Yah, I’m betrayed,” Minho whines, with a playfully angry tint to it. He sends another glare towards Chan, but this one is accompanied by a soft lilt of his mouth.

“See, Minho is really just a soft guy!” Chan laughs. “I knew I could trust Stay to know that.”

Minho narrows his eyes again, but this time he shoots up from the floor a moment later, practically throwing himself over the camera at Chan. Chan lets out a little yelp of surprise, playing it up a little for Stay, since they can’t see what happens.

“Shut up, hyung,” Minho says, and kisses him.

Chan sighs into it, cupping Minho’s cheek with his right hand. This is what he’d hoped for, when he began riling up Minho.

They pull apart, and Chan gives Minho a little peck before telling him to go back in front of the camera.


	5. Day 4 - Will you stay in the same place as me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho adopts a cat and moves in with Chan. It's _definitely_ not because they're dating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1.6k words

> _ With you, who has taken my hand_  
>  _ I can shout of a bigger dream than before  
>  _ _ f I can live for you, I can do anything  
>  If you can shine brighter, I can be the darkness _
> 
> I Am YOU — Stray Kids

Minho’s clothes are drenched, and he’s starting to shiver in them, the cold seeping through, as he waits for Chan to answer his door.

When Chan finally answers the door, his eyes widen as he takes in Minho. Before he can say anything, Minho pushes past him into the apartment that is thankfully warmer than the hall outside.

“Hyung, look what I found.”

—

Minho coos as Dori flops over, having in her excitement forgotten that she does in fact, not have the balance of a fully grown cat. She’s playing with a toy on top of Minho’s chest on the couch. He’d sat down some time ago to start on an assignment for one of his classes, but then Dori had jumped up, one of her mouse toys in her tiny little mouth, and demanded that he play with her. And who is he to deny her that?

When the doorbell rings some time later, Minho calls on Chan, who is sitting at his desk in the corner of the living room, headphones on. For a moment, Minho thinks Chan didn’t hear him, but then he sighs, takes his headphones off and stands up.

“The door,” Minho tells him before he has a chance to ask.

“And you couldn’t take it yourself?” Chan asks, but walks over to the door nonetheless.

“I’m busy.”

When Chan has opened the door, but before he can greet whoever is on the other side, Minho hears Jisung ask, “Have you seen Minho?”

Chan opens the door wider and Minho meets Jisungs eyes with a little wave.

“Oh, you’re here.”

“Yeah,” Minho says, scratching under Dori’s chin, “where else would I be?”

“Where you live, maybe?” Jisung says incredulously.

“Exactly.” Minho moves his gaze back to Dori and coos at her.

“No, I stopped by the dorms but you weren’t there,” Jisung says and steps inside, Chan closing the door behind him and returning to his desk.

“Why would I be?” Minho asks, glancing up at Jisung who’s still only standing just inside the door. “You know, when I live here?”

“No, you don’t?” Jisung protests, but it comes out more like a question.

“Yes, I do,” Minho tells him, cooing at Dori chasing her toy. “When I adopted Dori. Did you really think I kept her in the dorm?”

“Huh.” Jisung seems kind of dazed, but he sounds like that is obvious now that it’s pointed out. “Yeah, that makes sense.” He shakes himself and seems to come back to his senses. “Anyways, I was looking for you because I wanted lunch.”

“You just want me for my money,” Minho whines, even as he gently lifts Dori off him and gets up from the couch.

Before they leave, Minho pauses by where Chan has sat down at his desk, telling him, "Bye, Channie," and pulling a hand through his locks, to which Chan just hums in reply, but subtly leans into Minho's hand.

Jisung wisely doesn’t say anything about Minho’s soft smile.

—

Chan pulls him towards the bathroom, a wrinkle of worry on his forehead, even as he doesn’t look surprised at all. “Why are you so wet? Were you out in the rain again?”

“Look, hyung,” Minho says, and lifts the bundle in his arms so Chan can get a better look. “She was all abandoned out in the rain, I had to rescue her!”

The bundle lets out a meek little meow, and Chan’s brow furrows further. “All alone? She’s so small.”

Minho knows that instance that he’s won Chan over. And he’ll need it, because while Chan has his own apartment post-graduation, Minho is still living in the university dorms. Dorms that very much do not allow pets.

“Yes,” Minho says, and pulls the little kitten closer to his body when she shivers. “I had to get her out of the rain, and I’ll take her to the vet tomorrow, to see if she has an owner.”

"And if she doesn’t?” Chan asks as he’s turning on the hot water in the shower.

“We’ll see tomorrow.”

—

She — as the vet had confirmed — did in fact not have an owner. Minho knows that Chan is already half convinced to take her in, until Minho has a place of his own.

“I’ll come over every day to take care of her, of course,” Minho tells him on the subway ride back from the vet. They’d taken her there wrapped in a towel, careful not to let her wriggle free, but had stopped at a petshop after the visit, so now she’s safe inside a cat carrier with a bunch of new toys.

Chan doesn’t look up from where he has a finger sticking in to pet her little nose. “Why don’t you just move in instead? If you’re gonna come over everyday you might as well.”

Minho is stunned to silence — it for sure is the better option, but he really hadn’t thought Chan would want his space invaded that much.

“Plus, I could use the help with rent, until I get settled at a better job.” Chan looks up at Minho, and the smile on his face is just so  _ soft _ it makes something inside Minho melt.

“Sure.”

—

Chan helps him get all his things at the dorm packed. He doesn’t have a lot of things, due to a severe lack of space, so it’s quickly done even though it’s just the two of them. He settles the moving out with the dorm administration, and they manage to get everything smoothly moved to Chan’s —  _ their _ — apartment.

Chan only has a small dresser in his tiny bedroom, so Minho leaves all his clothes in the bags for the time being, until they can buy another one. They order food for a late dinner, and doesn’t really think about anything but Dori.

Well, that is, until it’s time to go to bed, and they realise that,  _ of course _ , Chan only has one bed. It’s a double mattress on the floor, only barely fitting inside the room with the dresser. He even had to put his desk in the living room because it wouldn’t fit in the bedroom, something that Minho is actually fully aware of, he’d just  _ oh so conveniently _ forgotten about it until now.

"Guess we’ll just sare, huh,” Chan says with a shrug, moving to one side of the bed while shrugging out of his shirt. “It’s not like we’ll be able to fit another bed, anyways.”

—

Jisung keeps whining about Minho not having told him that he moved in with Chan for several days after that. It goes as far as him dragging Felix along for one of their lunch dates. (Well, meetups, Jisung always complained about Minho calling them dates.)

Minho is running late because Dori had fallen asleep on top of him earlier, but he refuses to run. When he finally gets to the café, Jisung and Felix are already sitting at a table.

Jisung has his back to Minho, who catches him saying, “He’s probably late because of his boyfriend,” just as Minho is coming up to their table.

“Who’s late because of their boyfriend?” Minho asks and sits down next to Jisung. He didn’t know that there would be someone else joining them.

Jisung just blinks at him before exclaiming, "You!"

"I don't have a boyfriend, though," Minho says, and takes a sip of Jisung’s drink just to annoy him.

“You kiss Chan like all the time, though,” Felix says and takes a sip of his own drink. “Even Chan-hyung didn’t think it was weird when I brought it up with him yesterday.”

“You don’t have to date just because you’re kissing each other,” Minho says, huffing when Jisung steals his drink back. “It’s just platonic.”

“You even share a bed!” Jisung protests.

“Because there’s no space for another.”

“Tell yourself that,” Jisung mutters, but Minho chooses to ignore it. For now.

—

“Hyung, do you think it’s weird that we kiss?” Minho asks that night when they’ve gotten into bed. They’re layting facing each other, Chan with oine hand curled around Minho’s wrist where he has his hand underneath the pillow (okay, fine, they don’t have an excuse to the fact that they only have one pillow).

“No,” Chan mumbles, leaning forward to briefly slot his lips over Minho’s. “Do you?”

“No.” He follows Chan when he pulls back, the kiss keeping him from talking for a moment. “Jisung and Felix brought it up today. They think it’s weird.” He lets Chan give him another peck before adding, “They thought we were dating.”

“Hm,” Chan sighs against Minho’s lips, “would you want that?”

“Wouldn’t it be weird, though?” Minho asks, leaning back slightly so they’re not all up in each other's faces and can somewhat easier have a serious conversation. “Dating the friend you live with?”

Chan leans back on the pillow and hums thoughtfully. “No, I don’t think so. If you think about it, we’re practically already dating.” He leans forward a bit to conspiratorially whisper, “The only difference would be having sex.”

Minho smacks his arm, and Chan sinks back into the pillow to smile at him. Way too softly.

“Don’t say weird things,” Minho says, because he can’t deal with that look, and they way his heart flutters away behind his ribcage because of it.

The smile falls away from Chan’s face in favour of a grin, and he pulls Minho closer by the hem of his shorts. “I wouldn’t mind that, though. You are a very attractive guy.”

“Yah, Minho protests again, half-heartedly, and lets himself be pulled into the deeper kiss Chan gives him. “Fine,” he says, a little more lost for breath than a moment before, when they momentarily part, “I guess that wouldn’t be too bad.”

“Careful there,” Chan teases him, “we don’t want you to show  _ too _ much enthusiasm.”

“Shut up,” Minho mutters, but when he pulls them back into a kiss they are both smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lowkey inspired by [A Thousand Kisses by SatanIncarnate](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14682132)


	6. Day 5 - Imprint those flavors on your palate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of Day 2
> 
> They go to a barbeque later that same day - perhaps someone should have reminded Minho and Chan that they were not alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1k words

> _Turn on the fire in your eyes  
>  _ _I just wanna taste it, make it hot  
>  _ _On a new grill, cook this track_
> 
> God’s Menu — Stray Kids

Chan comes to him later to say that Changbin had asked if they wanted to have barbeque for dinner. Of course Minho enthusiastically agrees, so the two of them together with Felix leaves for the restaurant an hour later.

His hand is mostly the same, though the burn creme he applied has helped a little. His wrist is still sore, though.

And so he doesn't volunteer to grill the meat, Seungmin instead takes care of that. He reasons that if he rests his hand now, he should be able to use the chopsticks later.

He doesn't get that far. Chan had sat down next to him, and when Seungmin says the meat is done, Chan is ready with a piece of it on his own chopsticks, holding it out for Minho to eat.

Minho accepts it without saying anything, hoping against hope that if he doesn't acknowledge it, perhaps the kids won't either.

The sentiment was clearly in vain.

"Yah, why is hyung feeding you?!" Jisung whines, before Minho has even had time to swallow.

Changbin smacks him lightly in the arm, probably for speaking so casually, but really, that is not the bit that Minho minds.

"I also want to be fed!" Hyunjin exclaims, leaning over the table towards Chan. "It's not fair that hyung gets that treatment but we don't!"

Minho vaguely hears Chan telling them that Minho's hand is injured, too busy feeling horrified thinking back to earlier. Saying they had kissed would be an … understatement. Chan had  _ really  _ gone for tasting the ramyeon in Minho's mouth.  _ That _ is the treatment Hyunjin is unknowingly talking about.

But he can't let  _ the kids _ know about that. No. He has dignity, and this is where he draws the line.

"Hyung is just being a good leader," Minho joins the discussion, raising his hand to show them the blisters.

"More like I wasn't about to let you slurp your noodles like a cat," Chan protests, but he looks fond while saying it.

"I swear, hyung just becomes more like a cat every single day." It's Jisung, and fortunately for him, he's sitting at the other end of the table.

“Just shut up and eat,” Minho says instead, sending him a glare that Jisung seems to ignore.

Just as Minho looks away from him, Jisung sticks his tongue out, but before Minho can say or do anything, Chan is there with another piece of meat, practically shoving it into Minho’s mouth.

“Now, now, no fighting, please?”

Minho narrows his eyes, but complies, chewing the meat.

It’s calm for a little longer, until Chan leans a little closer to Minho and asks, his voice low, “How does it taste?”

Before answering, Minho glances down at Chan’s plate. It’s untouched, and considering how fast he’s been at giving food to Minho, he probably hasn’t eaten anything yet.

“Why don’t you taste it yourself?”

He doesn’t mean anything more by it than that Chan should eat it himself, but Chan’s gaze goes dark and he glances down at Minho’s lips. They’re close, actually really close. So close that Minho is glad that the eight of them are sitting in a private room so there are only 6 people who can see when Chan leans in closer.

Chan’s tongue darts out to wet his lips, and the grip he has on the chopsticks goes slack. Minho can’t take it anymore and leans in the last bit, letting Chan lick at the lingering taste of meat on his lips.

“What are you guys doing?!”

Chan pulls back so abruptly his knee bumps against the table and knocks over Felix’s drink. He’s quick to right it up, but the water is slowly spreading out on the table. Minho watches it blankly, so he can take another moment before having to answer.

“He was just tasting the food,” he says a moment later, with a wide grin directed at Hyunjin.

Hyunjin looks taken back, and he falters for what to say next. “Couldn’t he just …”

The tips of Chan’s ears are bright red, and he’s resolutely not looking at anyone. He has a piece of meat held with the chopstick that he slowly raises to his own mouth to taste. Minho pats his thigh in comfort.

“Wait, so,” Jisung begins, with a grin that can mean no good things, “hyung was feeding you, and you were feeding him in return?”

Minho refrains from getting up to attack Jisung and instead just pulls a grimache at him. “No, gross, he was just tasting the noodles.” He realises his mistake too late.

“So you were doing …  _ that _ earlier, too?”

Felix’s eyes suddenly widen and his mouth opens into a little, surprised (cute) ‘o’. “Hyung was calling for you in the dorm, Jisung!”

Jisung’s nose scrunches and before Minho can protest, he says, “Gross!”

_ Deep breath, Minho, deep breath. _ “That isn’t why I called for Jisung. I blame everything on hyung.”

Chan finally seems to be over his embarrassment, and elbows Minho (gently) in the side. “Hey! You didn’t stop me!”

Minho looks to the side to catch Chan’s eyes. “No, why would I have?” He smirks when Chan’s ears flare red again.

Somewhere at the table, Seungmin sighs, a deep and tired sound. “Please, hyung, the rest of us are here too.”

“Well isn’t that unfortunate for you, then?” Minho can’t help but snark back, and for once Chan just snickers at the comments, instead of telling them to keep it civil.

“No, no,” he says, “we’ll keep it family friendly, no need to worry.”

They go back to eating for a few more quiet moments. Before:

“So we’re just not gonna question it at all? They just basically made out in front of us and you’re not gonna say anything else about it?!” It’s Changbin, because of course it’s Changbin.

Before Minho can answer, Felix says, “Nah, what’s the point?”

Oh, there really is a good reason that Minho loves that boy. He reaches his hand over the table for a high five, that Felix happily gives him.

Chan just hides his face in his hands, giving off a little groan. Minho pats his back with a smile, cooing at him. Cute.


	7. Day 6 - And there it is, the hare.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's just something so surreal about those late night hours and you're standing outside and there's no one else around but a forest animal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1.2k words
> 
> The title is not from the song but the fic itself this time, but that's just because this was the first fic that got a title and that was before I decided all titles would be from their songs.

> _ To the end of my hardships I go  
>  _ _ I know, you know, we know, Lee Know  
>  _ _ Following time’s flow _
> 
> The Tortoise and the Hare — Stray Kids

There’s a hare, staring at Minho. He pauses, stops under a streetlight, just to make sure he’s seeing correctly. It’s after ten in the evening, he’s on his way home from dance practise. It would be totally acceptable to see a hare at this time of the day, if it weren’t for the fact that Minho is a mere 1 minute walk from the train station and it’s right by his apartment building. Sure, there’s a small park between the train station and his building, and a small grove of trees behind it, but why would there be a hare  _ here _ ?

They stare at each other for a moment before Minho takes a few more steps forward.

The hare stays still.

Minho is reaching for his phone, looking away for just a second, when the hare decides it’s had enough and jumps away.

When he’s reached his apartment he walks out on his balcony and looks down. And there it is, the hare, calmly stretching and munching on a patch of grass.

—

He catches a glimpse of it the next day, but it’s gone before he can make sure for certain that he sees it.

—

The next day he walks out on his balcony to take a breath of the crisp, fresh night air before going to bed. And there it is again. It’s just as calm as two days ago, and Minho finds himself watching it for some time.

It’s calm, as if it was all alone deep in the forest, stretching occasionally and leisurely jumping to a new patch of grass every now and then. It keeps coming back to a spot below and to the left of Minho’s apartment, but there’s nothing visually special about the place. At least not to Minho.

Eventually he shivers in the cold night air, and steps back inside.

—

He doesn’t see the hare again for some time.

A few days after he last saw the hare, he notices that white mushrooms has started growing in the grass just outside the building. It’s nothing too special, nothing he hasn’t seen before. They’re growing in small clusters, lines of mushrooms in irregular spaces from each other. Everything perfectly normal.

Except for the ring of them. Below his balcony and to the left. A ring of mushrooms around the place he could have sworn he kept seeing the hare returning to.

It’s probably just a coincidence.

Probably not even the same space.

—

The wasps begin coming the next week.

He doesn’t think too much of it — he has the balcony door open during the days when he’s at home, the apartment too hot when the sun is shining on the building. A wasp could have easily gotten inside at any time.

He notices it buzzing by the window on his balcony door, clearly wanting to get out. So he opens the door, and carefully guides the wasp out.

—

Then again the next day, the same thing. It appears seemingly out of nowhere, and it obediently flies outside when he opens the door.

It’s odd, but it’s not unreasonable.

—

He doesn’t even think much of it when it happens again the next day. It is however by one of his windows, and for some moments it stubbornly keeps to the window he can’t open. Eventually he manages to guide it so it flies outside.

—

It’s by the balcony door the next day, and Minho simply sighs before getting up to help it outside. He would like to know how they manage to get inside without him hearing them, and where they hide before eventually deciding that they want out.

He has a small fear that they’ve built a nest in his bathroom vent, because he can hear a buzzing through it sometimes, but… It would be more reasonable that it’s just something bussing right outside it, right? He can hear the trains through it, and sometimes voices distantly, when people talk just outside.

Everything is perfectly normal.

—

But then there’s another wasp that day, and he seriously begins to consider where they come from. He hasn’t kept the door open since he let out the last wasp, and surely they weren’t both inside his apartment at the same time, right?

In the evening the sun comes out, and the temperature goes up. There’s still a few hours before the sun sets, but there is a certain calm to the evening when he steps outside the balcony.

He looks down at the grass below, not expecting to see anything of interest, but a pure routine at this point.

And there it is, the hare.

It takes him by surprise, to see it now. He hasn’t seen it in almost two weeks, and now here it is again. Not even when it is a proper evening. It should be too early for it to be out now. When people are still moving about.

But there the hare sits, calmly stretching and munching on patches of grass.

He can’t stay outside for long, but he keeps checking as the evening progresses, and the hare is always there. Calm, leisurely hopping around.

It doesn’t go inside the mushroom ring, but it keeps close to it.

But then by the time he’s decided to take just one last look before going to bed, it’s gone.

—

One evening, a few days later with no wasps and no sign of the hare, as he’s walking home from the train after yet another late evening of dancing, he sees the hare again. He doesn’t notices it at first, instead looking down at the path. When he looks up, it’s sitting in the grass to the left of him, not very far away. It’s staring at him.

Minho stops in his tracks, and stares back.

It feels like a long time passes like that, but it can’t have been many minutes until the hare suddenly jumps away, towards the mushroom ring. It jumps inside and- disappears.

Sure, Minho has heard about fairy rings before, but surely they aren’t real? Surely his tired mind is just playing a trick on him? It is late after all, and if he doesn’t concentrate, the grey-brown colour of the hare’s pelt easily melts in with the grass in the weird lighting that always is late at night.

Something deep down in Minho compels him to follow.

He doesn’t know what he expects will happen, but he steps inside the ring, and suddenly he’s somewhere else.

“You followed me.”

It’s a boy, around his own age. His hair seemed to have once been a dark brown, but now been bleached down to the sandy grey-brown not too far off from the hare’s pelt. He’s wrapped in some kind of shimmering translucent fabric that seems to make his form shimmer in and out of existence, as if he’s not much more than smoke.

He looks at Minho for a moment longer before turning and walking away.

“Wait!” Minho calls after him, reaching out his arm as if he can stop him. “Who are you?”

The boy turns around and smiles, the edges of it unnerving Minho. “My name is Chan. May I have yours?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaand cut! :))
> 
> Kudos to whoever can guess correctly of how much of this actually literally happened to/with me (it's probably more than you'd think). (...no, I did not step inside a fairy ring and was transported to a different universe where a magical boy asked me to give him my name)


	8. Day 7 - I need you right by my side now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho wakes up in the middle of the night, and finds Chan working on the couch. He swears he'll just wait for Chan to finish so he's sure he goes to bed. He will not fall asleep on the couch. (Well...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1.4k words  
> Please have creator's style turned on for this chapter - it will still work without it, but there's one bit that will look a little weird/not as good without it.

> _You filled up my emptiness_  
>  _Only you could fill it up  
>  _ _Just by being by my side  
>  _ _You gave me strength_
> 
> I am YOU - Stray Kids

When Minho wakes up it’s the middle of the night, the room dark and quiet. His throat is parched, and his mouth feels like he has a wad of cotton stuck in it.

He’s still groggy with sleep when he gets up to go to the kitchen to get water, so he almost misses Chan sitting with his computer on the couch.

Water completely forgotten, Minho walks (more like drags himself) over to Chan, who only reacts when Minho throws himself down next to him on the couch.

“What are you doing here?” Minho asks when Chan takes off his headphones.

“You’d rather I still be at the studio?” Chan asks instead of asking.

“No,” Minho says (because he _never_ whines), “why aren’t you in bed?”

Chan only smiles softly at him. “I got some sudden inspiration as soon as I got back home, I _just_ need to fix this one thing.”

Minho squints his eyes at him, sceptical. “Promise?”

“Yeah,” Chan hums, gently knocking his head against Minho’s forehead, “you can go back to bed.”

“No,” Minho protests, swallowing a yawn, “I’ll just wait here.”

Chan hums again and puts his headphones back on, but with one slightly tilted to the side so he can still hear Minho. An involuntary smile fights its way to get to Minho’s lips at the sweet gesture, so he puts his head down on Chan’s shoulder to hide it.

If Chan won’t come to bed so Minho can actually cuddle his (secret) boyfriend (technically, they have admitted their feelings, but an undefined thing is easier to keep hidden, right?), Minho will just have to do it right here.

The angle isn’t the best, and Minho is sitting too far for it to be comfortable. And yet he finds himself tired, almost dozing off several times. He will not fall asleep, he refuses. Not before Chan is done and in an actual bed.

After maybe five minutes Minho sighs and sits up to scoot closer to Chan.

“Hey, since you’re not using it,” Minho begins, sneaking his hand to Chan’s pocket, “I can borrow your phone, right?”

Chan simply hums at first, but it doesn’t sound like he actually paid any attention to what he was replying to. He only reacts when Minho has his hand in his pocket and pulls his phone out.

Chan glances at him, but doesn’t actually protest, “What are you gonna do?”

Minho leans his head back on Chan’s shoulder and unlocks the phone. He learned the code by heart several months ago, and after the third time Chan simply didn’t bother to change the code anymore. (I might have also been right after they admitted their feelings to each other, so Chan didn’t actually have anything on the phone to keep secret from Minho anymore.

“I’ll just scroll through your twitter while I wait.” It’s not like Chan can protest either, considering Chan is keeping the account secret, meaning he most certainly doesn’t have permission from the company. So what will he do, scold Minho for going through _his own_ twitter? Clearly Minho wouldn’t allow that.

Before actually scrolling down his timeline Minho goes to Chan’s profile, hoping to find something embarrassing he can tease Chan about again. Instead he finds a tweet that he will never admit out loud to anyone that it makes him blush something furiously. He needs to clown Chan for it, if only to calm his own raising feelings.

|  Edit profile  
---|---  
  
**chris 🐨**  
@bangbangkoala

i talk a lot about my bf, but you would too if you were me and dating him

❒ Joined April 2019

135 Following 258 Followers

**Tweets** | **Tweets & replies** | **Media** | **Likes**  
---|---|---|---  
  
**chris 🐨** @bangbangkoala • 3h

do you ever get so overwhelmed with love for someone that you feel like you have to step out of your skin and just fly into the sky because you just can’t deal with it? my bf is just too good for me, for the world, and he deserve whatever i can ever give him and million more

❑ 1 | ⇄  | ♡ 5 | ≡  
---|---|---|---  
  
**chris 🐨** @bangbangkoala • 4m

you’re so embarrassing do you even think before tweeting about me?

❑ 1 | ⇄  | ♡  | ≡  
---|---|---|---  
  
**chris 🐨** @bangbangkoala • 3m

how do you guys follow him when he posts embarrassing things like this?

❑ 1 | ⇄  | ♡  | ≡  
---|---|---|---  
  
**chris 🐨** @bangbangkoala • 2m

but shh, don’t tell him that i feel the same

❑ 1 | ⇄  | ♡  | ≡  
---|---|---|---  
  
**chris 🐨** @bangbangkoala • 1m

and also, please, chris, clearly you are the one to deserve every single good thing coming to you

❑  | ⇄  | ♡  | ≡  
---|---|---|---  
  
(Okay, so maybe that wasn’t actually clowning him, but Minho got overwhelmed, so he can’t be held accountable, okay?)

He goes back to the timeline after and scrolls through it for some time. Most of the content is of him, or Felix, or another member. Barely any of it is about Chan, something Minho feels like he’ll have to correct. If Chan refuses to admit how fantastic he really is, Minho will just have to make sure that Chan will have no way of avoiding the evidence for it.

He finds and follows something like ten accounts posting about Chan. And if he ends up retweeting several threads about Chan being an amazing leader, and supporter, and person, and just general human being, then that is between only Minho and the accounts he finds them at.

When he checks the time again, it’s almost passed half an hour since he first took Chan’s phone, and Chan still doesn’t seem to be any closer to being finished with whatever thing he was working on.

Minho locks Chan’s phone and places it down on the couch next to him, so he’ll have an empty arm to snake around Chan’s waist, so that he can pull himself even closer. (And maybe it slightly bumps against Chan’s arm on the computer so that he gets Chan’s attention.)

“Are you done soon?” Minho asks, surprising himself with how groggy with sleep he sounds.

“Just a little more,” Chan says, turning his head to the side to press a kiss against Minho’s forehead. “You can go to bed if you’re tired.”

Minho shakes his head slightly and snuggles deeper into Chan’s neck. “No, I’ll wait here for you.”

—

When he wakes up he first registers the crick in his neck. It’s weird, because that shouldn’t happen with his pillow.

Well, that is until he opens his eyes and realises that he’s hanging on Chan’s shoulder, still on the couch. Oops. They were supposed to have gone to bed, not fall asleep on the couch.

Chan is still asleep, his head angled slightly back and to the side, so that his head had rested against Minho’s. Now it has rolled back against the backrest, leaving his neck bent in an angle Minho doubts is comfortable in any way.

He blinks a few times to try to wake himself up more, and then straightens up. Carefully, so as not to wake up Chan, he pulls him towards him, leaning Chan’s head against Minho’s shoulder. Sure, he might technically need to get up to pee, but he can’t exactly wake Chan up when he’s so adorable like this. The features of his face all smoothed out, and his eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks.

Wait, his eyelashes are fluttering!

Chan wakes up a moment later, smacking his lips before actually opening his eyes. He looks around them for a while before saying, “Oh.”

“Mm,” Minho hums, “I didn’t mean to fall asleep here.”

Chan blows out a huff of laughter through his nose. “Me neither. Man, my neck is killing me.”

“That’s what you get for not actually going to bed when you get home in the middle of the night,” Minho can’t help but snark at him.

Chan simply gives him a soft smile that reaches deep into his eyes, so probably some of the softness Minho is feeling is shining through.

“You can probably go to bed to sleep a few more hours, it’s still early.”

The sudden other voice startles them both, and Minho realises that the light in the kitchen had been on the whole time. It’s Jeongin, and he’s dressed in his school uniform, so he’s probably soon heading to school.

Minho feels a bit like a kid that’s been caught with their hand in the cookie jar by their parents, but there’s not actually any reason for it. Sure, the members have no clue what kind of feelings Minho and Chan actually have for each other, but on the other hand it’s not really weird for anyone of them to cuddle and fall asleep on each other.

It’s fine, really. As long as Jeongin gets going soon, because the look on Chan’s face is giving Minho major urges to just kiss him silly. _That_ would be a little harder to explain away.

(And he does kiss him silly, as soon as Jeongin has closed and locked the front door.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mayhaps I went overboard adding the tweets in "screenshot mode". Do I care? Nope, absolutely not, I love doing them like that! (When they don't drive me crazy because I'm adding new code and it just doesn't want to do what I want it to do 🙃) I've been working on the profile coding for another fic, so that really came in handy now! The rest is just copy paste from what I have already made, basically (turns out all the coding I've made for _a koala joined the chat_ has been coming very in handy lately)


	9. Day 8 - The two of us trippin’ together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can admire your friends, but you don't see stars in their eyes. You don't need their kiss more than you need air to breath.  
> Minho and Chan goes on a train trip and discovers themselves as a single concept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1.2k words.

> _Okay, we can go anywhere, to the ends of the earth  
>  _ _From the time the sun passes the baton to the moon  
>  _ _Until it rises again_
> 
> Airplane — Stray Kids

There aren't many people on the train when they step on, so they sit down opposite each other at a four seater. Minho slumps down in his seat, his knees knocking against Chan's before he arranges their legs better. Chan has half a mind to tell him to just sit up straight, when Minho's shuffling ends with them both having one knee each in between the other's thighs. But he looks so content, a small smile on his lips, eyes closed and head leaned back, that Chan just can't find it in himself to disturb him.

More and more people fill in each station they stop at, until it's mostly full, only a few places here and there empty.

Minho looks like he's trying to sleep (it is early in the morning, and they have almost a two hour train trip before they'll arrive) so Chan takes his phone out to kill time scrolling through twitter.

There's been maybe half an hour when Chan looks up from his phone as the train stops at a station. Some people step off and even more step on. Among them is a group of four people that looks around for empty seats. One of them catches Chan's gaze, but before he can feel bad for staring and looking away, she walks over to him.

"Ah, sorry for bothering you," she says, glancing back at her friends. "We were just wondering, since we're four people, if it would be okay with you…" She trails off and glances back at her friends again, of which one gives her an enthusiastic thumbs up. She takes a deep breath, as if to psych herself up, and says, "There's an empty two seater behind you, and since you are only two people and we are four, would it be okay for you to-"

"Of course!" Chan jumps up, accidentally cutting her off. "Really, it's no trouble, just a moment!"

He grabs his bag in one hand and Minho's hand in the other, practically dragging Minho up and out of his seat. Said boy makes a sound of confusion, only half awake, but before he can really protest Chan has pulled him back to the two seater. At least Minho never let go of his bag, Chan realises when they're sitting down. And perhaps there was no need to hurry so much, considering the surprised look on the girl's face. Oh well.

Chan pulling Minho did mean that he ended up almost halfway on top of Chan, squishing him against the side of the train. It's fine, though. Totally cool.

Instead of asking what the hell Chan was doing, Minho simply leans further against Chan's arm, putting his head on his shoulder, and promptly goes right back to sleep.

Yeah, this is fine. Completely fine. There's no reason Chan's best friend shouldn't be sitting practically on top of Chan when there is still space on the actual seat, right? Yeah.

Well, Minho isn't completely asleep. "Why are you still holding my hand?"

It's a completely valid question, but Chan has absolutely no answer to it. "Does it bother you?"

Minho makes some kind of sound, probably of exasperation, and says, "Be my guest."

So Chan just … keeps on holding Minho's hand. His hands are quite small, almost like Felix's, but his fingers are long and slender. Chan finds himself playing with them, stroking over the length of his fingers, fitting their palms together.

Minho lets out a hm, and his breath tickles against Chan’s neck. “Tell me about something.”

“I talked to Felix yesterday,” Chan says, not thinking of anything better to say. “He’s already missing us and wants to come back to Korea. He’ll never actually tell it to your face probably, but he really does enjoy spending time with you. He appreciated everything you did while he was here to help him with Korean. Actually, he wanted to tell you like a thank you speech before he flew back to Australia, but he never managed to gather the courage to formulate what he wanted to say in Korean.” He pauses to see if Minho has something to say, but he remains silent. Chan knows he’s still listening though, because he’s gripping Chan’s hand back.

Chan turns his head to the side slightly, hopefully without Minho actually being able to notice, and his nose gets invaded by the smell of Minho’s hair. It smells like home. “Sometimes when I shower over at your place I steal your shampoo. It smells nice, better than my own.” It’s so weird to say it, but he can’t see Minho’s face, so it’s as if a filter has been lifted from him.

On his shoulder, Minho shifts. Chan turns slightly more, to see if he’s not comfortable anymore, and his eyes meet Minho’s.

There are stars in his eyes, Chan can swear on this. It’s not late enough for the stars in the sky to be visible, and yet Chan can see a whole galaxy in Minho’s eyes.

And because he has no filter, he tells him as much. “There’s stars in your eyes.”

Minho doesn’t flinch or anything, but the corners of his mouth lifts up. “In that case, there’s a whole galaxy in your eyes.”

The breath Chan had just pulled in gets stuck in his throat. Oh. It’s so cheesy, but Minho literally stole his breath away. Some kind of best friend he is.

“Can you give me my breath back, please?”

The smile spreads, reaching Minho’s eyes. “Only if you tell me why you steal my shampoo. Want to smell like me?”

“It smells like home,” Chan says, and the little awareness he has of everything that is not Lee Minho registers that they’re almost alone in this train car. It’s a relief, because Chan isn’t a fan of kissing in public, but he’s only seconds away from bursting if he can’t kiss Minho right this moment.

“I think I need to kiss you or I’ll die.”

“I thought you didn’t like public affection,” Minho teases, but he leans closer until their noses touch. “But I guess we can’t let you die, now can we?”

Chan pulls in a sharp breath of air and then their lips meet. It feels like coming home, and Chan wonders why they have never done this before. Surely this is what love feels like?

Chan still does not have a filter, so he says, “If this is what love is then I never want to leave this moment.”

There’s a softness passing over Minho’s face that doesn’t match his next words. “We have to get off this train at our station, though. But…” He leans to the side, nosing his way to Chan’s ear. “If I smell like home to you, don’t you think the feeling of love is portable, too?”

“You have to stop stealing my breath away, Minnie,” Chan chokes. He drops his bag, and probably pushes Minho’s out of his lap, when he moves both arms around Minho and pulls him as tightly against him as he can. He doesn’t care about that, though. Not when Minho just said what he said.

“Is that you saying that you will be my own personal source of love?”

“If that’s what you want, dork,” Minho snorts into his hair, “I’ll be whatever you want me to be.”

“Then… my boyfriend?”

“Yes, of course.” Minho’s laughter is the air under a clear evening sky. “Did you really think I would say no?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like this one :) and it only happened because I saw two dudes on the train sitting with their knees inbetween each other's legs...


	10. Day 9 - I was a sand castle in the snow field

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is something to be said about leaving your boyfriend for the girl he was thirsting after. Minhee doesn't have much care for what that is. Not when she's here, she has Chanmi, and everything is right in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1.6k words.
> 
> The inspiration:  
> 
> 
> Minho - Minhee  
> Chan - Chanmi  
> Jisung - Jiseo

> __ Carefree, now I’mma be me  
>  _ I’m not even sorry about not holding on  
>  _ _ Turning my back from your burning light  
>  _ __ Just let me go
> 
> B Me — Stray Kids

Let’s not get anything wrong, Minhee  _ does _ like her boyfriend. It’s just, sometimes she wonders if he really likes her as much as he says he does. Like now, when they’re walking together from the restaurant, and she finds him looking back to stare at another girl,  _ yet again _ .

She pulls at his hand, and he turns back to her with a smile, as if he wasn’t just checking out someone else. Minhee feels bad for herself, but also for the poor innocent girl. You’d think women would be safe from men being creeps when they already have a girlfriend, wouldn’t you?

But it’s fine, Minhee tells herself, he’s still with her, he’s only looking, and not even all the time. It’s fine, he still loves her.

—

She’d been dating Kwangjoon for almost 9 months when her grandmother started asking her if it weren’t about time to settle down and make a family with him. Minhee does her best to avoid that conversation and any more her grandmother insists to have, because … well, does she even want to settle down with Kwangjoon? They haven’t even moved in together, because Minhee likes having her own place (and the comfort that if it ends up not working out she has somewhere to live). She doesn’t even know if Kwangjoon wants to marry her. With the way he keeps looking at other women, you’d think he didn’t.

Which is why it takes her by surprise when one time when they’re sitting beside each other on a park bench, Kwangjoon gets up and gets down on one knee in front of her.

A wide smile finds its way to her face, along with the many emotions surging through her at that very moment.

But then she notices that Kwangjoon isn't even looking at her, instead staring at the back of a woman passing by them. It looks like the same woman as the other week, and a cold feeling settles deep in her core.

She doesn't actually think Kwangjoon is being unfaithful, but doubt still creeps in.

“No,” she says, and Kwangjoon whips around to look at her. “Don’t you think it’s a little early still?”

Kwangjoon doesn’t even protest.

—

He still tries to keep her happy, and now he’s adding in hints that surely it’s not too early to get married. She overhears him once, talking to his mom, and he says he hasn’t proposed yet.

Whatever, it’s not her fault if he decides that he doesn’t want to be honest with her.

He comes over to her place more often, and she would complain about her space being invaded if it wasn’t for the fact that he brought her food every time.And yet, he doesn’t want to talk about his tendencies to stare at other women. Minhee draws the line there — they can't go back to the way they once were until he can acknowledge that what he’s doing is wrong.

Maybe it’s too much to wish for.

Kwangjoon drops her off at her work one weekend when she has to go in for a few hours. He gives her a hug to say goodbye, but when she pulls back from it, he’s staring after a woman, and the look on his face is almost predatory.

“Bye,” she practically snarls, shaking herself free of his arms. She’s inside the building before he can say anything.

—

She doesn’t answer any of his texts. He hadn’t even apologized, only asked her when she would get off, so he could come pick her up.

He gave up after only 3 texts.

She’s finished way earlier than she thought she would be, and decides to just have lunch at a nearby cafe. If she goes home, Kwangjoon might try to find her there.

So of course she runs into him just outside the cafe. The woman is there with him too.

Minhee forces a wide smile onto her lips, and exclaims, loudly, “Hi! Fancy running into you here!”

She sees with satisfaction a look of panic crossing over Kwangjoon’s face. Then she turns her attention to the woman, and realises that she does know her. Vaguely. And from long ago.

“Chanmi?” she asks, because she’s not one to be shy. So what if it’s not Chanmi?

But Chanmi lights up, a light reaching her eyes that wasn’t there moments before. “Is that really you, Minhee?”

“Yeah,” Minhee says, and this time her smile is genuine, “it’s been a long time, huh?”

Chanmi nods, and it’s as if Kwangjoon isn’t even there. “Do you want to grab a coffee? Talk about what’s happened since we last saw each other?”

“I was about to grab lunch, if that’s okay?” Minhee asks, gesturing to the cafe behind her.

“Yeah, let’s go!”

Chanmi sits down at a table for two, and Kwangjoon who had wandered in after them slink away to a seat a few tables down. Good.

“So, how do you know Kwangjoon?” Minhee asks, taking a bite of her salad.

“We work together,” Chanmi answers with a wince. “He seems to think we’re closer than we are. I swear, he does not get a hint.”

“Oh.” There is most certainly not an icy feeling settling in Minhee’s chest. “Has he been coming on to you for long?”

“A few months, I think. Changbin always jokes that he needs a girlfriend so he’ll stop bothering me.”

Minhee takes a sip of her coffee, stalling before she has to put it out in the open. “He’s my boyfriend. He tried proposing a week ago but I said no.”

Chanmi almost drops her cup of coffee. She’s always been very compassionate, and Minhee can see the panic in her eyes now.

“Don’t worry about it,” she looks down at her salad so she doesn’t have to meet her eyes any longer, “I think I might break up with him.”

They change the subject after that, and talk about all the things that has happened since Chanmi graduated university and they last saw each other. Minhee tells her about the girlfriend she had last year of university and still hasn’t told her parents about. Chanmi in turn tells her that she doesn’t think guys are something for her.

—

Minhee breaks up with Kwangjoon the next day and then doesn’t talk to him again. He tries coming to her apartment but she doesn’t answer the door. She calls Chanmi instead and she comes over after he’s left.

It’s easy getting back into the comfortable rhythm they used to have. It leaves Minhee wondering why they even let them drift apart in the first place. But it’s almost too easy getting comfortable with Chanmi, so Minhee finds herself calling Jiseo one evening.

Jiseo has been extremely busy at work recently, so Minhee hasn’t even had the opportunity to tell her that Kwangjoon proposed to her.

Jiseo brings take out, and they snuggle down on the couch to eat while watching reruns of some series Jiseo likes.

“Kwangjoon proposed to me.”

Jiseo almost drops her food with how fast she spins around. Her wide grin fades away when she sees the look on Minhee’s face.

“Not good?”

“He was staring after another woman right after he did. I said no, and I broke up with him.”

Jiseo has her mouth open in a little ‘o’ before she says, “You don’t sound sad about it.”

“I think I stopped loving him a while back. And for my own sake, I don’t think he should be in my life anymore.”

They both turn back to the tv, Jiseo probably because she can sense that Minhee doesn’t want to talk more about it. Almost the whole evening passes before Minhee finally says what she actually wanted to talk to Jiseo about.

“I met someone else.”

“Was that part of the reason…?”

Minhee shakes her head. “No. It was someone I haven’t talked to in years. And I realised that I don’t know why we even stopped talking.”

“And now you realised that you like him.” It’s supposed to be a question, probably, but Jiseo knows her so well that it seems more like a statement.

“Actually…” Because Minhee has never told Jiseo she likes women, and she has no clue how she’ll react. “You remember Chanmi, right?”

“Yeah, I work with her now, I never mentioned it because I thought it might be awkward for you.” It takes her a moment, but Minhee sees the second the realisation settles in. “Oh, you like her.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Jiseo pulls her into a warm hug, so no words are needed for Minhee to know exactly what Jiseo thinks.

—

The first kiss Chanmi gives her is on the cheek, when they’re having a picnic in the park one summer afternoon. She’s sure she hears Chanmi whisper “I love you” against her cheeks, so she says, “Say that again.”

Chanmi looks surprised, but Minhee is grinning, as genuine as she’s ever been.

Chanmi stares at her eyes for a moment, but she must have found what she was looking for.

“I love you.”

Their first proper kiss, Minhee gives to Chanmi.

Their second Chanmi gives to Minhee.

There is something to be said about leaving your boyfriend for the girl he was thirsting after. But Minhee doesn't have much care for what that is, not when she's here, she has Chanmi, and everything is right in the world.

—

Minhee has lost count of how many kisses Chanmi has given her when she kisses her with the warmth of the sun on their wedding day. It might not be a legally recognised marriage, but everyone who matters — their friends and family — are there to witness them giving their promise to always love each other.

Always and forever. Minhee and Chanmi.


	11. Day 10 - I promised I wouldn’t let go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho finds two kittens in the rain and brings them to the dorm. Featuring the unsexy kind of showering together because you are just trying to save two wet and dirty kittens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 2k words. Of course I was gonna write the (so far) longest one about cats, no one is surprised.
> 
> And now we begin the section of "if it weren't for this fic-series these fic probably wouldn't have seen the light of day in a really long time"

> _Whenever you smile, whenever you struggle  
>  I’ll always protect you, for you  
>  I can even jump across time to go to you_
> 
> Story That Won't End - Stray Kids

The trickling of rain has already begun when Minho trudges the way back to their dorms. The others had left earlier, not wanting to get caught in the promised downpour. Minho had dared to stay just a little longer in the dance studio — he still had choreography to perfect.

He did, however, not think to bring an umbrella, and is now sufficiently soaked. The worst of it hasn’t started yet, but it’s bound to just get worse and worse.

There’s muddy footsteps on a lawn he passes, a sign telling everyone to “KEEP OFF THE GRASS”. It’s intriguing, imagining the reason someone’s been stepping on the grass. Did they do it recently, after the rain started? Was it a child wanting to be naughty and go against the sign? But the size of the prints are too big to be a child’s, so it’s probably an adult’s, Minho muses.

Suddenly he stumbles over the uneven paving, imagining the squeak of a cat meowing. But then it comes again, a low pathetic sound, coming from a small bush just ahead. Minho bends down and looks underneath the brittle branches.

It’s a red tabby kitten, it’s fur soaked and splotched with mud.

“Oh no, baby!” Minho cooes, reaching his hand out for the kitten to sniff.

The kitten squeaks again, trembling. It’s barely big enough to be separated from its mom, and definitely not to be alone on the streets. It has to be abandoned.

Minho kneels down on the wet pavement, no thought in his head to care about his pants. He can’t just leave the kitten here in the cold of the rain. The kitten doesn’t protest more than another squeak when he reaches his hand under the push to pick it up. It barely weighs anything, and he can feel it’s spine poking through the soaked fur.

If maybe a few tears fall down Minho’s cheeks, no one will be able to know in the rain.

He’s about to stand back up, the kitten cradled close to his chest for warmth, when he hears another little squeak from underneath the bush. It’s even weaker, and he barely is able to find the second kitten. It’s even smaller than the first, and he can’t tell if it really is a greyish brown, or if that is just dirt.

With both kittens close to his chest, jacket half wrapped around them, Minho leans forward once more to check again. Since he already has these two kittens, he can’t miss if there is another one.

When he’s certain that the two kittens were the only ones there, he stands up and zips his jacket closed over the kittens, making sure to keep one arm under them so they’re safe from slipping down.

The walk to the dorm has never felt so long before, and yet he’s almost running. No one hears him coming in, and he doesn’t bother saying anything as he chucks his shoes off and hurries to the bathroom.

He’ll need a shower of his own to warm up, but the kittens are his first priority right now. He puts them down in the sink and turns on the shower as hot as it goes, hoping that it will heat up the room until he can get them cleaned and dry.

He’s just peeling his wet clothes off when the door opens, and Chan steps in.

“Oh, I didn’t hear you come back,” Chan says, evidently not having seen the kittens. “You should have called for one of the managers to drive you instead of walking.”

Before Minho can answer, the red tabby kitten lets out a weak meow.

Chan pauses with a hand on the door handle, and slowly turns towards the sink. “Minho…”

“Look,” Minho begins before Chan can scold him, “they’re tiny, there’s no way they would have survived alone if I had left them!”

“I’m not saying you should have left them,” Chan says, locking the door instead of walking out. “But we can’t keep them. You need to know that before you get attached.”

“I know,” Minho says and closes his eyes. He’s already carved out a space in his heart for them.

Instead of saying anything else, Chan pulls his hoodie over his head, and begins pulling off his sweatpants.

“What are you doing?” Minho asks, confused for a moment.

“Look, the shower is big, and we can keep our underwear on. But I will help you get them cleaned up.” Chan eyes him and his wet clothes. “Plus, you need that shower just as much, before you become sick.”

They pick up one kitten each, Minho taking the tiniest, maybe-grey-brown kitten. It’s too cold to the touch, now that his hands are warmed up and he can actually feel the difference. His heart stops beating for a moment before it lets out a meek little squeak.

Chan steps in the shower first, Minho following and closing the shower door behind them. The water is plenty hot already, steam rising from where it is hitting the wall. Chan turns the temperature down before taking the shower head and turning it towards Minho. He lets out a yelp of surprise (and maybe because the water is really hot,  _ fuck _ ) and holds the kitten out of the way. Not that he had to worry, considering Chan was careful to avoid the kitten.

“Tell me when it’s a good temperature for them?” Chan asks, and Minho nods. “You could sit down in the meanwhile, maybe hold the two of them and I’ll rinse your back?”

Minho takes the red tabby kitten from Chan and sits down with his back towards Chan. The hot water feels heavenly and soothing, heating up his body. He hadn’t even realised just how cold he’d become from the rain.

“I think it’s good now,” Minho says when the water feels like it won’t scald the kittens, and moves to the side to give Chan room to sit down too.

Chan turns down the strength of the water, and carefully rinses the kittens while Minho does his best to scrub them clean of all the dirt. They sit still at first, but as Minho gets more and more dirt off their bodies, and they probably warm up more and more, they start trying to crawl away, so Chan has to keep one hand ready to keep them within Minho’s reach.

The red tabby kitten turns out to be a light red, with a softly white stomach. It doesn’t look as malnourished as Minho had first thought, which is a huge relief. The other kitten seems skinnier, though. It’s fur is a dark brownish-grey tabby, half its face and stomach the same white as the other kitten’s. They’re both extremely cute, and Minho can’t help but coo at them, now that they seem to be feeling a bit livelier.

When he looks up, Chan is smiling down at him, a softness tugging at the corners of his eyes.

“What?”

“It’s just cute!” Chan defends himself, but his smile never leaves. “Can you really blame me?”

“I guess not,” Minho says, and turns away from Chan’s heavy gaze. It’s more than he can take at the moment, with the rollercoaster his heart has been on ever since he found the kittens.

When it seems like Minho has gotten every little speck of dirt from their fur, Chan hands him the shower head and says, “You finish your shower and I’ll get them dried up.”

Minho is just finishing up his shower when there’s someone trying to open the door, followed by a pounding on it.

"Uh, I'm having a shower!" Chan calls out to whoever is on the other side.

"You literally never lock the door when you shower, though," Seungmin protests.

Chan and Minho exchange a glance — it's not like he's wrong, Minho has walked in many times to Chan just getting in or out of the shower.

"Just unlock the door!"

"Yah, show some respect! Sometimes a guy just wants some privacy!"

Minho realises his mistake when the silence stretches on just a moment too long. Seungmin knew that  _ Chan _ was in the bathroom, but he didn't know  _ Minho _ was also there.

"You know what? I'll just call manager-hyung to take me to the company instead. I don't even want to know."

Chan and Minho exchange a look as Seungmin walks away. Minho can only hold it in for a moment more before he bursts out laughing.

“You do know that there’s no way we’ll be able to hide the kittens from them, right?”

The tip of Chan’s ears turn red, and he looks away from Minho. “Yeah, I know that. I just,” he scratches his neck and glances back at MInho, “hoped we wouldn’t have to explain why we’re basically naked and showered together.”

“We didn’t shower together, though,” Minho says, angling his head to the side with a little smirk. “I showered, but you’re barely even wet.” He eyes the drops of water running down Chan’s chest from where he’d held the kittens close to him. Other than that, he’s only wet on his legs, from where the water had splashed up on him.

“Shut up,” Chan says, and turns away to put the now dry kittens down on the floor. “Are you feeling warmed up now?”

Yeah, I guess so,” Minho shrugs and steps out of the shower. He is still quick to wrap his towel around him before he can shiver from the cool air hitting his wet skin.

“You can take my hoodie,” Chan says, already reaching for it.

Minho raises his eyebrows at him, and asks, “And then?” gesturing towards where he’s discarded his wet underwear in the shower.

“Oh, yeah. You can take my sweatpants too.” Chan picks up them too, holding them out for Minho. “I’ll just wrap up in a towel or something, I did tell Seungmin I was showering.”

“I don’t exactly think he believes you,” Minho snorts, but takes the clothes from Chan.

Chan groans, and hides his face in his hand. “Don’t remind me!”

“Get used to it,” Minho grins, patting Chan’s shoulder. “I don’t think Seungmin will just let it go.”

Minho pulls the clothes on and then picks up both kittens. They still barely weigh anything, but at least they seem livelier now, and Minho has to be more careful so he won’t drop them because they wiggle around too much.

Chan has wrapped himself in a towel, and unlocks the door. He holds it open for Minho steps out, and leaves it slightly ajar, probably to air out the steam.

“Should we see if we have something for them to eat?”

When they walk into the living room on their way to the kitchen, Seungmin rises from the couch. Minho had thought he’d already left, but seems like he didn’t.

“Fucking finally,” he mutters, and eyes Minho up and down. “Are you even trying to be inconspicuous? Chan was wearing those clothes earlier.” He pushes past them towards the bathroom before either Chan or Minho can say anything.

“Told you so,” Minho tells Chan and heads into the kitchen. He’s pretty sure that they still have some fish left over from yesterday’s dinner.

Chan comes in after him and closes the door to the kitchen, so Minho lets the kittens down on the floor while he rummages through the fridge for the fish.

“We’ll take them to the vet tomorrow, okay?”

Minho looks up at Chan’s words. “Yeah, I know.” He already doesn’t want to, instead wants to keep them, but… He knows they can’t. And he can’t put that on his parents either, bring two more kittens home for them to take care of.

Whatever, he still has today to shower them with as much love and affection as he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For you:  
>   
> Basically how I imagine the kittens look like. And also because we all deserve some cute kittens. (Mayhaps I am already very attached to these two very much fictional kittens...)


	12. Day 11 - Who are you to do this to me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan shares a class with the cute guy he meets at the university health center. He just wishes he was more awake than being seconds away from passing out... Well, and that he hadn't completely embarrassed himself in class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1k words.

> _Something’s different about you, but I’m not sure what_  
>  _I think the light approaching me now must be you_  
>  _Even if I look away I can still see your afterimage,_  
>  _you never leave my sight, who are you to do this to me?_
> 
> Hello Stranger - Stray Kids

The waiting room in the university health center is small and bare. There’s only one rickety chair and a small table with some pamphlets. There used to be another, just as rickety, chair, but Chan isn’t sure what happened to it. It probably broke, at some point. He can’t fathom that anyone would have wanted to take it.

As it is, he’s early to his appointment, sitting slumped in the uncomfortable chair. His eyelids are heavy, drooping every few seconds. Sleep still eludes him, just like it does every night. He’s just managed to catch a few naps here and there throughout the last few days, going as far as falling into a half-sleeping state during his class today.

He’d practically died of embarrassment when he’d been shocked into awareness by something small hitting him in the head, and the consequent snickers that followed. When he’d looked to his right, he’d found the soft ball the professor used to throw out to the class to have someone answer his questions.

Chan had met eyes with the gorgeous guy sitting a few seats away on the same row, who was laughing silently, and had wanted to sink through the floor.

His day hasn’t been the best so far.

His eyes have closed against his will when he hears the door open. He doesn’t pay it much mind, probably just someone there to see the nurse.

“Hey, buddy, do you mind?”

Chan forces his eyes open at the voice, and finds the gorgeous guy from his class earlier leaning against the now closed door.

“Sorry?” Chan asked, wondering if he’d missed something.

“I asked if I could sit down.” He gestures down his legs, and Chan notices that he’s not putting any weight on one of his feet.

“Oh!” he shoots up out of the chair too quickly, and he has to steady himself against the wall.

They guy blinks at him for a moment before sitting down. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm completely fine!"

"You look like you're gonna fall over any moment now…"

"Nah, I'm just a little tired." Chan forces himself to open his eyes (he hadn't even realised he'd closed them) and the room spins around him. "Oh. And a bit dizzy."

He barely catches the guy's eye widening in panic. "Please don't faint, I won't be able to catch you."

The guy eyes the floor by the corner, as if wondering if Chan can sit down there.

No way. He's not sitting down on this dirty floor. "The only thing that will get me to sit down on this floor is if I literally _collapse_ onto it."

"Please don't do that," the guy grimaces.

“I can’t exactly control that,” Chan shrugs. No, bad idea.

The guy sighs and rolls his eyes. “Just come here.”

“What?”

He rolls his eyes again and pats his thighs. “Just come sit down. I don’t want to have to explain to the nurse why you collapsed on the floor.”

Chan is doubtful, that needs to be pointed out, but he also feels like he’s just seconds from falling over at this point, and the floor is _really_ dirty. “I don’t even know your name,” he protests, but still moves over to him.

“Minho,” the guy says, and wraps his arms around Chan’s waist when he’s sat down. “Yours?”

He can feel Minho’s breath against the back of his neck. “Chan.”

Minho leans his chin against Chan’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t we have a class together? Aren’t you the guy who got hit in the head by the ball?”

Ok, sure, he may not want to sit on the floor, but he most certainly wants to sink through it and pretend like he’s never met Minho. Kind of hard, though, when he’s literally trapped in the guy’s lap.

“Maybe,” Chan finally mumbles. Maybe Minho will let it go if he doesn’t say anything else.

“That was so funny!” His chuckles are so loud right next to Chan’s ear. “But you weren’t actually properly awake, were you?”

“No,” Chan says, staring at his hands. He’s actually glad he’s in Minho’s lap, because that means he doesn’t have to look at him.

After a moment of silence, Minho asks, “So, you’re not actually okay, are you?”

Chan sighs, but shakes his head. “Sleep deprived, mostly. Tends to happen when you have insomnia.”

“Want me to cuddle it better?” Chan can practically hear the grin in his voice.

“You’re really bold, huh?” He wishes it was that easy, though. “And it doesn’t work like that.”

“I know, I’m just joking, maybe a little flirting.” When Chan doesn’t say anything, he adds, “I will not believe that no one ever flirts with a hot guy like you.”

Chan has no opportunity to answer (to try to deny it, despite being aware that people constantly _try_ , he just shuts them down before they can) when the door to the nurse’s office opens and two people step out. One is clearly another student, who heads right to the door and disappears. The other is a nurse, who eyes the two of them, especially Minho’s arms around Chan.

“Ah, I’m afraid you should be going to a youth clinic rather than here…” she says. “We only deal with minor injuries, and appointments with the psychologist.”

“I have an appointment with the psychologist, “ Chan says at the same time Minho says, “I’m here for my ankle.”

Chan hopes Minho can’t see how red his ears are. He can’t believe that Minho is flirting with him, or that the nurse seems to think they’re a couple.

“Well then,” the nurse says, looking slightly stricken. “You can head in, I don’t have an appointment for another hour.”

Chan gets out of Minho’s lap to let him stand up. He limps over to the door, and the nurse heads inside. Before he can disappear inside, Minho turns back around towards Chan.

“Can I take you out for coffee later?”

“I don’t drink coffee,” Chan says, like an absolute idiot.

“Tea? Hot chocolate? Something, then?” Minho asks instead, and Chan feels slightly less like an idiot.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Great, it’s a date!” Minho grins, and slips inside the nurse’s office before Chan can reply.


	13. Day 12 - I want to live with bright dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho does in fact get a cold, but that's okay, because then he can just cuddle with the kittens the whole days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1.5k words.
> 
> This is a continuation of day 10 so you should have read that one first (in case you haven't).
> 
> The manager's name is completely made up.

> _I’m waiting for a tomorrow_  
>  _That I will live for you_  
>  _All day, making a story that won’t ever end_
> 
> Story That Won't End - Stray Kids

The two kittens scarf down the fish so quickly that Minho has to pull them away every now and then so that they won't choke.

Felix comes into the kitchen just as they finish eating, and he doesn't even question the fact that there are two kittens in their dorm, instead squealing and sinking down on the floor to pet them. Chan only gives him a fond look before joining him.

"Minho found them on his way home," he says, petting the smallest kitten under its chin. "We're gonna take them to the vet tomorrow, so don't get too attached."

Felix nods, but Minho isn't entirely sure he actually heard what Chan said.

No one else comes to bother them before Minho decides to go to bed, taking the kittens with him. Chan gives him a look that Minho resolutely ignores. He knows they can't keep them.

He's careful to tuck the blankets he uses as curtains under the mattress so the kittens can't go wandering during the night.

—

When he wakes up he thinks for a moment that he must have his nose buried in the fur of one of the kittens. He can't breathe properly, and his nose feels stuffed.

Then he opens his eyes and sees that both kittens are sleeping soundly on his chest curled around each other.

They wake up when he lets out a loud sneeze the next moment.

"Told you so," he hears, and the next moment Chan is peaking his head inside. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess," Minho shrugs, "I mean, I just woke up."

"Take today off and hopefully you'll be fully healthy in a few days."

The red tabby kitten lets out a moew, so Chan reaches out to give it a scratch under its chin. "Do you want breakfast now? I can take the kittens to give them more fish otherwise."

"No," Minho protests and sits up. "I can't breath any better laying down, either way."

Chan makes grabby hands at the kittens, so Minho relents with a sigh and lets him pick them up. He stands up after, realising that he's still wearing Chan's clothes.

"Sorry for stealing your clothes," Minho says, and sniffs.

Chan rolls his eyes. "Just head to the bathroom and blow your nose, will you?"

When Minho finally enters the kitchen, Chan is already there with the kittens, as are literally everyone else. They're hovering next to or behind Chan, watching the kittens eat the fish. Chan must have explained the situation, then.

Seungmin eyes him when he steps in, a frown on his face as he glances down at Chan. "If you have a cold, then why doesn't Chan have one too?"

Minho plops down next to the kittens, and gives Seungmin a sceptical look with one eyebrow raised. "Why would he?"

Seungmin purses his lips and glares. "Then do you care to tell the rest what you were doing in the bathroom yesterday?"

"Cleaning the kittens, of course," Minho says, not wavering. "What else?"

"Oh?" Seungmin raises one eyebrow in challenge. "With Chan, and the door locked? And you had to put on  _ his _ clothes after and leave  _ your _ underwear in the shower? You're still wearing the clothes he wore yesterday, by the way."

Beside him, Chan groans and hides his face in his hands. Minho gives his shoulder a pat. "You're making it look worse, hyung."

"He was cold!" Chan protests, finally looking up. His ears are bright red. "I didn't want him to catch a cold!"

"And how did that work out for you?" Seungmin asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Are you saying they…" Hyunjin's eyes are wide open, glancing between the three of them.

"What he's saying doesn't matter because nothing happened," Minho says, and that's that about this.

At least for now.

—

Minho stays in the dorm while the rest head to the company. At first he plays with the kittens, but when all three of them seem to be getting tired, he carries them back to his bed to nap. He really has missed being able to cuddle cats while sleeping.

He wakes up some time later by their manager calling out for him. He panics for a brief moment — they have yet to tell them about the kittens — until he realises that it's inevitable that their managers find out.

He sighs and sits up, picking up the kittens before standing up. "I'm here," he says and walks out to the living room.

"How are you feeling?" Soojin asks, his back to Minho as he heads to the kitchen.

“Okay, I guess?” Minho says, and one of the kittens meows.

Soojin turns around slowly, giving Minho a look. “Minho…”

He hugs the kittens a little lighter. “I found them alone in the rain yesterday. We’re taking them to the vet today

Soojin narrows his eyes and sighs, “You’re not leaving the dorm until you’re not sick anymore. I’ll just take them on the way back to the company.”

“No!” His reaction is instant, taking a step back and hugging the kittens even tighter as if that will prevent Soojin from taking them from him.

Soojin just shakes his head and heads inside the kitchen. “You’re already attached, aren’t you.”

“No,” Minho mutters, but he doesn’t even believe himself. “I just want to come along.” He follows Soojin into the kitchen and sees him take out a box of food from a bag.

“I need to head back, if you’re feeling okay. There’s food for you here, but call if you need something.” He starts heading out, but pauses by the doorway to the living room. “For now, we’ll wait until you’re better to take them to the vet. But not longer, okay?”

Minho nods, a little too violently, a little too quickly.

—

After lunch, he plays with the kittens for a bit before they grow tired and fall asleep in a pile. He turns on the tv, but doesn’t really watch it, distracted by thinking of names for the kittens. He’s the bigger one is a male and the smaller one female.

Chan calls him almost an hour later, both kittens still asleep.

“How are you doing?” Chan asks, and it’s followed by a loud shriek in the background.

"Hyung, we're not taking them to the vet today."

"Uh… what?" He sounds understandably confused, and the background noise fades away, so he probably stepped out of the room.

"Soojin-hyung says i can't come with since I'm sick, so we're not taking them to the vet." Next to him Saja stirs, waking up his sister.

"Is Soojin-hyung saying this?" There’s hints of both confusion and exasperation in his voice.

"No, clearly you are talking to me.”

Chan sighs, a long and deep sound. "I meant, whose decision was it?"

"...mine… but then hyung said it too!”

“So when will we then?”

“When I’m feeling better, he said.”

Saja is crawling over Yoonie now, climping up Minho’s chest to bump his head against Minho’s chin. “Hey, baby,” Minho mumbles, and Chan makes a weird sound.

“Are you calling me baby?”

“Ah, no, Saja was just bumping his head against me.”

Chan is silent in the other end for what feels like a solid minute. “Have you given them names, Minho?”

Oops. “Maybe?”

“I told you not to get attached.”

“Hyung, you know me, you should have known it was over before I even got back to the dorm with them.”

—

Over the next few days, Minho spends as much time as he can with Saja and Yoonie, and almost forgets that he has a cold. The others are all over them when they come back from the company, and Minho one time when he comes out of the bathroom finds Yoonie sleeping in Hyunjin’s lap. He looks scared to move, and slowly turns his head towards Minho with wide eyes.

When he mouths, “Help,” Minho can only laugh at him.

—

In the evening of the day Minho starts to feel better, Chan shares a secret with him.

“I think I might have become a little attached to them.” He’s not looking at Minho, instead focusing on where Saja and Yoonie are playing with a string that he’s dangling over his lap. “In my defence, Felix told me he also is, he absolutely adores them.”

When he suddenly glances up, Chan catches Minho right in the middle of the soft smile he has directed towards Chan. Minho tries to cover it up by saying, “You were the one who told me not to get attached.”

Chan snorts. “Let’s not avoid the truth, we both know you were attached to them the moment you found them under that bush.”

Minho fakes being offended and slaps Chan’s knee. It’s all he can do to hide just how right Chan is, and how much that hurt, knowing that tomorrow they will have to go to the vet with them.

—

Minho really doesn’t want their story together to reach an end just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to find Korean cat names, but I have no ideas if these are accurate and actually used or not. If you're curious, Saja is supposed to mean lion, and Yoon is supposed to mean spoiled. (...yes, I am aware of the irony that Saja would better fit to be named "tiger" instead, considering he's a red tabby...)


	14. Day 13 - Like awkward silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan's music class has a collaboration with the dance class. Of course, with his luck, he's partnered with the guy he slept with the other day, and made a total fool out of himself when he farted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1k words.
> 
> Kinda ironic that this is the thirteenth fic, considering Chan's "luck"

> _A crow is passing_  
>  _No need for the vibes to grow sour_  
>  _Just be cool_  
>  _It’s not easy to just laugh it off baby_
> 
> Awkward Silence - Stray Kids

It's awkward. It's really,  _ really _ awkward. After partners had been assigned for the project, Minho had moved over to where Chan was sitting, sat down, and then hadn't said anything in favour of staring down at the desk.

_ Minho _ .

yugyeom you need to help!

what   
why are you texting me in class??!   
talk to your project partner!

it's him!

who??

from last night!

oh shit

yeah!   
exactly!   
so help me!

just talk to him

i can't do that!   
yugyeom!   
hello?   
where'd you go?   
Read 1 min ago betrayal, real betrayal

Chan forces himself to lock his phone and put it down on the desk. Okay, talking to Minho, he can do that. Probably.

No, fuck it, he can't!

He's about to turn back to his phone, contemplating asking the teacher to get a new partner (maybe he can convince her to let him work with Yugyeom), when Minho looks up.

"So…"

It's definitely awkward for them both, then. It's kind of reassuring, Chan must admit.

“Um,” Minho starts again, “I didn’t know you make music.”

“I didn’t know you dance,” Chan counters, and immediately feels bad for sounding so confrontational.

“So, uh, what kind of music do you usually make?”

Okay, he can do this, this is something he can talk about! “It varies a bit, but mostly hip hop, like — I make a lot of music with two of my friends, and we mostly rap.”

“That’s cool,” Minho says, nodding to himself. “I do enjoy that kind of dance. Something powerful.”

Chan chances another glance at him. He’s not looking at Chan, but at least he doesn’t look bothered, or worse, disgusted. “How do you feel about singing?”

Minho looks up towards the front of the room, seeming to contemplate before answering. “It’s kinda fun, I do it sometimes, but I think I need to work more on my technique.”

“Oh.” Chan hadn’t expected that. “I meant like if I added singing or so in the track for the dance performance, but that…”

“Ah, I see…”

_ Stupid, Chan _ . They fall back into an awkward silence.

At least they’re saved from having to talk more by the teacher asking for their attention. Only for dread to come back to Chan as she explains that they should get to a studio to start working on ideas for the project together. They only have three weeks before the dance performances, and they need a completed track and choreography for that.

Really, Chan is going to have some very awkward three weeks to look forward to. Looked in a small studio. Alone with Minho. The guy he slept with yesterday and made a huge embarrassment out of himself when he  _ farted _ .

—

They do go to the studio.

Neither say anything on the walk over, and Chan doesn’t know what to say when they get there either.

MInho looks mildly impressed by the setup in the studio (and maybe the ease with which Chan navigates it, but Chan doesn’t really want to sound like he’s blowing up his own ego), but it’s not like it’s Chan’s own space rather than the university’s.

“This is a nice place,” Minho comments as he sits down in one of the two chairs, “feels like higher budget than the dance department gets.”

Chan doesn’t really know what to say to that, so instead he just sets to starting up all the programs they might need.

Minho sits down next to him, watching what he does. He’s really close, almost hanging over Chan’s shoulder to look.

Suddenly, he says, “Hey. I know you seem like you don’t want to talk about it, but seriously, why did you just  _ leave _ like the moment we finished?”

Chan can only stare at him. “What do you mean  _ why _ ?”

Minho blinks. “How is that so hard to understand? Why did you leave?”

“Are you kidding? I  _ farted _ right as we were… And you wonder why I left? I almost died of embarrassment!”

“Oh. I didn’t notice.”

What? Did… did Minho really just say that? Has Chan been avoiding him all this time for something that Minho hadn’t even noticed? “What?”

“Yeah, like why would I notice that when I was  _ quite _ distracted with other things.” He eyes Chan up and down, as if that is what had him distracted. Which, fair, Chan was equally as distracted by Minho.

“You…” Chan starts, but isn’t sure how to continue. “You have to be kidding, right?”

Minho scoffs. “No, why would I? If you hadn’t run away right after, I would have asked for your number.”

“Oh.” That certainly changes things.

—

They do try to get the song started. Chan manages to get into the groove for a bit, but then Minho moves just a little bit closer, and Chan catches a whiff of his perfume. His fingers still on the keyboard, and his mind is bombarded with images from the last time he smelt that perfume.

It’s quite distracting actually.

So distracting, in fact, that Chan doesn’t even register how it happens, only knows that the next moment Minho is in his lap and they’re kissing. Deep kisses with tongue, that Chan can only sigh of pleasure into.

—

One tiny part of Chan’s brain is still aware that they’re in a public studio room at their university, which is really the only reason that both of them still have all their clothes on when the door is opened by Changbin an undefined amount of time later.

“Fucking hell!” Changbin exclaims, but he doesn’t back out of the room.

Minho pulls away from where he’d been latched onto Chan’s neck, but doesn’t move from his lap.

“Excuse you,” he says, his tone strained.

“Fuck no,” Changbin mutters and pulls out the chair Minho had been using earlier. “I have scheduled this time with hyung.”

Right. The two of them have, in fact, decided that they would meet after the class. Chan wonders how long ago that finished.

“Well, I’m not leaving,” Minho argues. Chan tightens his arms around him before he can decide to get up, because there are certain kinds of embarrassing situations he’d rather avoid with Changbin.

(This whole thing for sure is one of them, but since he can’t turn back time, he’d at least rather keep it from getting worse.)

“He can stay?” Chan says (asks) to Changbin. “He won’t bother us, right?”

“Nope,” Minho agrees, with a grin that promises trouble.

Oh well. Chan is sure it will be fine.

(It won’t, but that’s okay.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on: "Uhhh we're paired for a project but last night we slept together and I farted au".


	15. Day 14 - All day, making a story that won’t ever end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kittens stay, and Chan goes one vlive with CATS before Minho??!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1.8k words
> 
> since I have to write it into existence myself considering Chan brought YOUNG K on Chan’s room before Minho!! can you believe?!

> _The words I love you might be a bit typical  
>  But I can’t save those words  
>  Because I love you more than anything in the world_
> 
> Story That Won't End - Stray Kids

They don’t end up taking Saja and Yoonie to the vet the next day. With Minho able to come back to practise, their schedule is cramped as full as is possible, and any vet within a reasonable distance has closed by the time they “finish” for the day.

Minho is secretly relieved (but perhaps not so secretly, considering the look Chan gives him in the car on the way home). Felix, as soon as he’s gotten his shoes off, walks straight into the living room and picks up Yoonie, and rubs his cheek against her head.

_ Same _ , Minho thinks, crouching down to say hello to Saja. At this point, the very last thing he wants to do is hand them over. No, he wants to keep them for all their — hopefully — long and healthy lives.

Hyunjin plasters himself to Felix's side, trying to steal some of Yoonie's attention. "Can we really not keep them?"

"Guys…" Chan sounds resigned, but he looks lost, a wistfulness in his eyes as he looks down at Minho and Saja.

Jisung crouches down beside Minho, and widens his eyes as he stares up at Chan with a pout. “Please, hyung?”

Chan sighs. “Do you really think that we’ll be able to take care of them?”

“Yes!” Hyunjin exclaims, and Jeongin nods exaggeratedly. “And if we have to be away for long, a manager can take care of them!”

“Or we can leave them with Minho’s parents,” Jisung adds, and ducks away from Minho before he can do anything. But Minho won’t do anything, because he also wants to keep them with all his heart.

Chan sighs again, but he smiles, and his eyes when he locks eyes with Minho are soft. “I’ll see what I can do.”

—

  
**1, 319 likes**   
**realstraykids** Cuties, just like me #사자윤이는기여어   
View all 987 comments   
2 min ago・See Original

—

Minho makes the post as Stay’s first introduction to their new family members, but he doesn’t specify anything. Everyone seems to think that they’re  _ his _ new cats, and he sees some people asking how they get along with Soonie, Doongie and Dori. He doesn’t correct anyone.

Chan wants to formally introduce them on his next vlive.

(And maybe something really soft passes over Minho’s heart when Chan tells him this.)

—

Chan makes sure to have Gone Days playing before he starts the live. Both Saja and Yoonie are climbing all over his lap, and Saja is loudly protesting the lack of attention he’s getting. Minho can’t hear him over the music, but he sees his mouth open wide several times again and again, like a baby bird trying to get fed.

Yoonie manages to get her claws stuck in Chan’s shirt, just out of frame, and pulls it down slightly. Minho can see it move in the playback, and when he looks up again, Chan has sucked his lips in trying to stifle his laughter. Yoonie does it again, and this time Chan’s composure breaks. He starts giggling, and Minho’s heart stops beating for a brief moment.

_ Oh. _ Well, he’ll deal with that later.

He sees some comments talking about how the title for the vlive says “special guests” and wondering who they are. Perhaps he feels a little devious when he finds amusement in the fact that none of them will guess right.

Chan scratches Saja under his chin before he turns down the volume to say hello. “Hi, guys,” he says between giggles. “Special guests, special guests? They’re coming soon!”

Yoonie meows, probably sad that she’s not getting any attention, but Minho isn’t sure the microphone picked it up. He can’t see any comments mentioning it, at least.

Chan talks about random things for a bit, letting Saja and Yoonie play with his hands as he does. He winces slightly when Saja bites one of his fingers, and the comments are instantly flooded by confused Stays. A few Stays keep asking if Minho is the special guest.

He laughs — quietly — at them, and remembers the other week when he’d stolen Chan’s phone. He’d gone on Chan’s (not so) secret twitter and found that he’d liked and retweeted several tweets from Stays calling themselves clowns thinking that his last guest would have been Minho, when it in fact was Young K. Ah, if only they know what will happen this time.

“Ah, I’ve been keeping you too long now, haven’t I?” Chan says, leaning forward to read comments. He laughs at what he reads, scrolling back up for something he probably missed.

Yoonie takes advantage of his new position, and climbs up his chest with the help of his arm, until her little head can be seen at the bottom of the playback. So much for suspense, huh?

Chan must have seen it happen, because he laughs, the kind where his dimples are fully visible and he has to throw his head back. Wow, Minho really has it bad.

Chan pulls him composure together, and lifts up both kittens to hold them up for the camera. "Say hello to Saja and Yoonie!”

Minho sees someone comment “ _ are you at minho’s place?!! _ ” and has to laugh. They still haven’t caught on, despite Chan literally being in the dorm. Someone should have recognised the place and realised by now.

Chan doesn’t answer the comment, probably didn’t even see it. He has his nose buried in the fur on the back of Saja’s neck, and only the angle allows Minho to side the wide smile on his lips.

Yep, he’s absolutely whipped for Chan.

Another comment flashes by on the screen, the speed too quick for Minho to be able to read it, but Chan catches it and reads it out loud. “ _ Am I seeing things, or is he really having a vlive with CATS before Minho??! _ ” Chan laughs again, softer, more like giggles. “Am I?” Chan asks, because he really does enjoy teasing Stay. “Are you sad?”

Minho sees someone comment “ _ i’m sorry but I’ll have to say that I like cats more than Minho _ ” and Minho can’t even be offended, because it’s the truth, and everyone should be saying it.

"Do you want introductions?" Chan pretends to look at the comments, as if whatever Stay has to say will actually affect whether he'll do it or not. Then he seems satisfied, and holds out Yoonie to the side towards Minho, asking, "Here, can you hold her?"

"This is Saja!" Chan exclaims and holds up the kitten, as if half of Stay aren't freaking out in the comments. "He's a little bigger than his sister, and very lively. I always play a little with him when we get back home. Top tip for getting a dose of happiness is kittens!"

Minho wants to roll his eyes at him, he really does, so badly, but instead a smile creeps it's way to his lips. That's how Chan finds him, the next moment, looking away from the playback to turn towards Minho.

A little smile tugging at his dimples breaks out on Chan's face. "Swap?" he asks, and holds out Saja in both his hands. Saja meows loudly in protest.

Minho doesn't say anything, but they swap kittens and Chan introduces Yoonie.

"This is Yoonie! She's a bit smaller than her brother, but she grows every day! Her favourite thing is sleeping on top of us."

When Minho looks at the comments, Stays are still asking Chan who he's talking to. So he decides on an impulse to say, "I once found her sleeping on Hyunjin's lap and he actually looked terrified to accidentally wake her up."

Chan turns to him slowly, and says with a pout, "I wanted it to be suspenseful."

"You've played with them for too long," Minho shrugs and scoots over to sit next to Chan. He waves at the camera, and then hugs Yoonie to his chest so he can make her wink too.

"Hello Stay, you have been anticipating me for long now!"

"Mm," Chan agrees, "did you subconsciously know that you were going to find Saja and Yoonie and decided to wait to come here until you could come with them?"

"No." Minho narrows his eyes at him, but Chan only shrugs.

"Is there something you want to know about Saja and Yoonie?" he asks the camera instead.

Minho doesn't look at the answers, instead distracted by Saja trying to escape Chan's arms to be with his sister. Minho is just reaching over to help him when Chan reads out, " _ How and when did Minho find them? _ " He turns to Minho then and asks, "Do you want to tell them?"

Minho doesn't reply, instead assumes that him leaning forward toward the camera is answer enough. "I found them in the rain on my way back to the dorm. I took them with me back here because they were really dirty and cold." He glances down at Yoonie with a fond little smile, and chooses to — because he's wise like that — leave out the detail of him and Chan showering together to clean the kittens. "We weren't actually going to keep them, but then- ah, I got a cold. They stayed, because I wanted to come along to the vet, but then we all got attached to them — even Channie-hyung, despite him denying it for some time."

"I did not!" Chan protests, an offended little lilt to the curl of his lips. "I was just being practical."

"Liar~" Minho can't help teasing him. “Can you really say that you do not adore this cute face?” Minho holds up Yoonie under his chin, but Chan’s eyes only trail down Minho’s face.

“No,” Chan says, and his tone makes it clear that he’s lost somewhere in his mind. Minho has to pinch his thigh to bring him back to the present. “I was just saying that I didn’t deny anything.”

“Nice try, hyung,” Minho snorts, trying to cover up the way his heart is trying to beat out of his chest. Was Chan really staring at his lips earlier?

“Do you have any songs to recommend to Stay?” Chan asks suddenly, changing the topic.

“Do  _ you _ have any songs to recommend to me?” Minho asks instead of answering. He rubs his hand over Chan’s thigh, watching his ears flare red in embarrassment.

Minho’s phone buzzes on the floor by his foot. He picks it up and finds a text from Seungmin.

hyung, what are you doing? -_-   
you are literally on camera.

shut up

He locks his phone before Seungmin can answer, and ignores all texts that come in after that. He’s not doing anything that Stay can see anyway. No harm done.

(Except maybe to Chan’s ears, that stay red for the rest of the vlive.)

—

#MinhoCatDad and #MinhoKittenRescuer trends on twitter for several hours after the vlive.


	16. Day 15 - The way that gaze of you looks at me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their game of truth or dare goes south faster than even Chan would have thought was possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1.2k words.
> 
> Hi, we're back to being spicy :)

> _Wow, wow, wow I want to go be in your mind_   
>  _Got me trippin’ like_   
>  _Wow, wow so we’ll get closer_   
>  _I wanna know your heart bang bang_
> 
> Wow - Stray Kids

Felix found the game online and had bought it without telling anyone. That should probably be counted as the first mistake. And yet Chan isn’t sure that they can get away with saying that, considering they had all agreed to play it.

 _That_ is for sure a mistake, whether it’s the second or the first.

Either way, one evening when schedules are finished early, they round up in the living room, sitting down in a ring around the box for the card game. Well, if only it was as simple as just being a card game. No, Felix had found and insisted that they play truth or dare. Yes, really.

At least the cards are marked according to categories, so they set about sorting out the more … suggestive cards before they begin.

Here is where the third mistake comes in. Chan naively assumes that they managed to sort out all the cards. Of course they didn’t.

It starts out fine.

Felix runs off to the kitchen and comes back with an empty bottle after they had wondered how they would decide who’s turn it is. He almost falls back on the floor in his excitement, and spins the bottle.

It lands on Jeongin.

“Do you want truth or dare?” Felix asks, his hand already hovering over the two stacks of cards, way too excited for this type of game, in Chan’s humble opinion. (He does not acknowledge the part of his mind that tells him that Jisung would call him a buzzkill.)

“Truth?” Jeongin says, but he sounds so unsure it’s more like a question.

“Okay!” Felix pulls the top card and reads, “When’s the last time you cried?”

Jeongin hesitates for a brief moment before answering, “Our latest win with Back Door.”

“That’s no fun, it’s supposed to be embarrassing for you,” Hyunjin pouts.

“No,” Chan has to protest, “that is not the point of this game!”

Minho scoffs. “Have you never played this before? The more embarrassing it is the better.”

“I have!” Chan defends himself, as if having played truth or dare before is something to be proud of. (He’s so glad they removed the ...spicy category, because there are some things he’d much rather not know about his members.)

“If it’s not going to be more interesting than that, just spin the bottle so the next person can go.” Seungmin sounds disinterested, but he’s leaving forward, so Chan is certain that he’s actually excited to play.

It stops on Minho.

“Dare,” he says before Jeongin can ask.

Jeongin picks up the card and opens his mouth to read it, but stops. “Oh, um, I don’t think we should have this one.”

Minho narrows his eyes. “What is it? Now you have to read it, you realise that, right?”

Jeongin gulps, but does comply and reads, “Kiss slash make out with someone in the group for 3 minutes.”

The room falls mysteriously silent. (Mysteriously because nothing is ever fully silent when all 8 of them are gathered in the same room.)

"Hyung, you don't need to…” Jeongin starts saying, but Minho cuts him off.

"No, I will. I am not backing out of a challenge.”

Chan can’t help but feel like even if he doesn’t, he shouldn’t be so ...eager to kiss one of them. For 3 minutes even! And who will he even kiss?!

“But who will have to be the one to do it with you, huh?” Chan asks, hoping that it will discourage Minho. Of course it doesn’t.

“Since you volunteered,” Minho says and slides across the circle until he’s right in front of Chan.

“That’s not- I didn’t!” Chan protests, leaning back from Minho invading his personal space.

The corner of Minho’s mouth lifts up in a smirk, “Are you saying you’re too cowardly to kiss your bro?”

The way he tilts his head feels mocking somehow, so Chan protests without even thinking about what he’s actually protesting against. “No, I’m not!”

"See, there we go." The smile Minho gives him is almost predatory.

“Are you really going to…" Changbin trails off, as if he can't believe this is happening. Chan can't either.

“Yes, keep up, I said I never back down from a challenge."

Chan makes an aborted little sound in the back of his throat, like a dying animal he imagines, when Minho throws one of his thighs over Chan’s to straddle his lap. It puts him in even more of a height advantage than normal, and Chan finds himself angling his head slightly back to be able to look up at Minho.

“Set a timer for 3 minutes,” Minho tells the rest, but with his eyes locked with Chan. “Don’t you dare do anything else.”

Then he sweeps in, knocking the breath right out of Chan’s chest. His lips are warm and smooth, and for one moment more, Chan can’t focus on anything but them.

He startles when Minho slightly parts his lips, and after flailing them around he ends up with his hands splayed out over Minho’s thighs.

Chan likes Minho's thighs. They're strong, muscular, and he's often found himself wondering if Minho would actually be able to crush a watermelon between them, like he's seen Stays comment about. He’s so distracted by them that he doesn’t even realise that he’s squeezing them until Minho bites his bottom lip.

“Focus,” Minho breathes out against his lips, and slides one hand up into his hair.

Chan realises then that he’s just been unmovingly accepting Minho, and tries to make an effort to kiss him back. (Because then he doesn’t have to examine the feeling of want sliding down down down.)

It’s okay for a bit longer, Chan able to focus on Minho’s lips and keeping his mouth shut. Minho keeps trying to get him to open up, so by now Chan’s lips are probably completely slick with saliva from Minho’s tongue.

But then- Then Minho slides his other hand up to join the other,resting his thumb on a point of his neck just below his ear. It’s fine at first, Chan’s skin only tingling, until Minho nibbles his lower lip and _presses_ his thumb in.

Chan’s lips parts involuntarily, letting Minho swallow down the choked off sound he makes. He prays to whoever is listening that none of the boys could hear it.

Minho is just licking his way inside Chan’s mouth when a loud alarm goes off right next to them. Chan startles so badly that he bites Minho’s tongue before he can pull back. A taste of copper lingers when he licks his lips to get them rid of some of the saliva coating them. It doesn’t really work.

“Fuck,” Minho mutters, softly. Chan isn’t sure if it’s about his tongue or something else, because he’s staring at Chan’s lips as he says it.

"I think this must be a record for how fast a game of truth and dare has gone south,” Hyunjin comments, bringing Chan back to the room.

They’re all staring at them.

“Do you still think playing truth or dare was a good idea?” Chan asks them, pushing Minho off of his lap.

Jisung shrugs, and glances down. “You seem to think so.”

Chan whips his head down to look, feeling his ears flare red hot in embarrassment. He can’t have- no. “Yah! Stop fooling around, there’s nothing to see!”

Jisung has the stomach to just laugh, falling against Felix’s side in his hysterics.


	17. Day 16 - Leaving longing in its wake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho steps back inside the fairy ring, because he has questions but no answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 700 words. I know it's very short, but it just Fits, to keep this Mystically Magic Mood
> 
> Again, the title is not from the song
> 
> A continuation of Day 6 - _And there it is, the hare._

> _Slow it down, everything, slow it down_  
>  _The thinking inside your brain, slow it all down like a monorail_  
>  _Even when you throw away a snail’s home, it’s still a slug_
> 
> The Tortoise and the Hare - Stray Kids

He doesn't know how he gets back to his apartment. He doesn't have any memories from between telling the weird boy that he could call him Minho, and waking up (coming to?) in his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

He never sleeps on his back.

He can almost believe it had all been a weird dream, but… There's this weird feeling lingering in the air around him, and a strange pull in his chest for something familiar, even though he has no clue what it is.

—

He finds himself drawn to the fairy ring, looking at it every time he passes by. He stares down at it every evening he steps out on his balcony to look for the hare. It’s vanished without a trace, the only thing lingering being the wasps.

—

He starts looking for a mosquito net, something to put in the balcony doorway. He doesn't want to wake up and find a new wasp everyday, risking stepping on them.

He finally finds one after looking around for a few days — they're becoming out of season, and the one he finds is not as ideal as he had hoped for. It's only four panels hanging from above the door, and already the very next day the first wasp realised that it just has to crawl around the edge.

He keeps the door closed, rather stewing on the heat.

—

He wants to try going back, but part of him is afraid that it was only a freakishly realistic feeling dream. He has no idea what he would do if he stepped inside the ring and nothing happened. What would he do with that knowledge?

What would he do about the dreamy boy not being real?

—

He dreams of the other place, of a boy with hair like a hare's pelt and a voice curling around Minho's mind like smoke.

He always wakes up on his back.

—

One late evening, when he's tired and sore from dance practise, he stops right below his building. The small white mushrooms are almost glowing in the dim light of the moon, seeming to call out to him.

He doesn't realise he's stepped forward until he takes one more step and is suddenly somewhere else.

The air is crisp and sharp, feeling like it would cut deep into him if he takes one step wrong. In contrast, the foliage around him seems to constantly be shifting form, there one second and gone the next.

He's alone.

He can't see the boy, and he hears no trace of animals either. It's almost eerily silent, only the occasional leaf rubbing against something.

A twig snaps when he takes one step forward, and everything stills around him. The foliage seems stuck somewhere between a physical form and smoke, unable to be focused in on.

Something pulls at him to keep stepping forward, whether physical or not he can't tell. He simply follows, until he can hear the gentle lapping of water against a shore.

A small clearing comes into view, within it a still pond. A thin mist seems to be hanging over the water, so Minho cannot see the boy in the water until he turns around and looks at Minho.

"You came back."

Minho finds himself unable to speak, instead drawn closer to the water. It's surprisingly warm when he steps in. When it reaches the middle of his calfs he realises that he's not wearing the same clothes as he was in the other space — (is this not the other space? Is it not home where he came from?) — instead a smoky fabric wrapped around him like Chan is wearing. Was wearing.

Chan is naked, although Minho cannot see below where the water is gently lapping against his hips. He forces his eyes back up, and locks gazes with Chan.

Chan smiles, and it's not as unnerving this time. He takes a step forward, reaches his hand out for Minho to take.

"Welcome home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Lowkey panics because I don't have anything pre-written anymore.)


	18. Day 17 - You’re here, so it’s getting warmer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan should have realised that Minho would come and flop on top of him saying he's his "sleep paralysis demon" after he said that during Minho's heart kids room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 900 words.
> 
> This is a continuation of Day 7 - it may be a whooping 10 days later, but this is for you [LilithStarlight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilithStarlight/pseuds/LilithStarlight) \- you wanted to see how flustered Chan gets when he sees the tweets :)

> _You filled up my emptiness  
>  _ _Only you could fill it up  
>  _ _Just by being by my side_  
>  You gave me strength
> 
> I am YOU - Stray Kids

Chan finally has some time to read the book Hyunjin had recommended to him when it's been a week since he recommended it. He's on Minho's bed with the blankets pulled shut to finally have some privacy to read without one of the kids wanting to rope him into yet another one of their schemes. They've been awfully imaginative and … inventive lately, and Chan would rather not be a part of it.

He's borrowed a reading light from Jeongin (perhaps without asking…), and is enjoying his time alone in the cozy darkness. He's gotten a few dozen pages into the book by the time he hears the door to the room open, and the next moment one of the blankets shifts.

Chan doesn't look up as Minho crawls in. He pushes his head underneath Chan's hands holding the book, like a cat, and flops on top of Chan.

"I'm your sleep paralysis demon," he mumbles into the collar of Chan's shirt.

"Just say you want to cuddle, like normal people," Chan comments, searching for his place on the page that he lost when Minho shifted and made Chan's hands move.

He can feel Minho's huff of laughter both against his neck and chest, as well as his hands on Minho's back making the book move.

"Normal people don't say they'll cuddle their sleep paralysis demon."

He's got a point, but Chan doesn't want to admit it, so he says nothing. Minho falls silent as well, the only evidence that he's actually there being his weight over Chan and his breath that keeps tickling against Chan's neck.

It's hard to concentrate on the book like that, because Chan has missed the physical affection with Minho the last few days. Aside from yesterday night, Chan has been too busy with work for them to share more than a fleeting touch here and there.

"You're warm," Minho sighs, content, and squirms to burrow further into Chan.

At this point Chan has forgotten which of the two pages currently opened he was on, so he puts the book aside with a little sigh. It's fine, he can always read it later, when Minho is busy with something and they won't be able to cuddle either way. He takes his phone out instead — he's been too busy to go on twitter since yesterday, and he's seen that he has some notifications.

There's more than he expects, and his nose scrunches up in a little frown. He doesn't remember tweeting something like what they’re in response to…

Oh. "He" has written several replies to the tweet he made just before leaving the studio yesterday. They're all from 3 hours after the first tweet, when he was- Minho. Of course it's Minho.

**chris 🐨** @bangbangkoala • 15h

you’re so embarrassing do you even think before tweeting about me?

❑ 3 | ⇄ 1 | ♡ 10 | ≡  
---|---|---|---  
  
**chris 🐨** @bangbangkoala • 15h

how do you guys follow him when he posts embarrassing things like this?

❑ 4 | ⇄ 2 | ♡ 8 | ≡  
---|---|---|---  
  
**chris 🐨** @bangbangkoala • 15h

but shh, don’t tell him that i feel the same

❑ 6 | ⇄ 3 | ♡ 15 | ≡  
---|---|---|---  
  
**chris 🐨** @bangbangkoala • 15h

and also, please, chris, clearly you are the one to deserve every single good thing coming to you

❑ 5 | ⇄ 4 | ♡ 21 | ≡  
---|---|---|---  
  
He scrolls back to read the first one and can't help but scowl. Of course Minho would write something like that. The second one isn't any surprising either, but the third one makes his lips shape into a little circle.

Minho feels the same.

The fourth and last one makes him blush something furiously, a warm feeling that has nothing to do with Minho on top of him settling in his chest.

Minho is too precious, too good for him, even if he has feelings he won't yet admit out loud between them.

“You’re so pretty when you’re blushing,” Minho murmurs, and when Chan moves his gaze down he finds him looking at Chan with one of the softest expressions he’s ever seen on his face.

“You’re even more pretty,” Chan says, breathless from Minho’s smoothed out features, the sharp angle of his jaw, the definition of his cheekbone. “I saw the tweets you wrote.”

“This isn’t a competition,” Minho protests with a huff, ignoring the comment about the tweets. Then he adds, “But you’re winning.”

He seals his lips over Chan’s in a soft kiss before Chan can say anything in protest.

Chan only vaguely hears the door to the room open and someone stepping inside, and then Jisung’s voice floats inside their little cocoon of warmth. “Hey, Minho-hyung, are you here? We were supposed to play Among us with Hyunjin now.”

Minho pulls away from Chan’s lips just enough to say, “Some other time, I’m busy.”

“But you promised!” Jisung whines.

“Hey,” Chan murmurs, not louder than a whisper against Minho’s lips. “Minho…” He pushes against Minho’s shoulders to get him to move off since they’re not alone anymore. Minho doesn’t move, but Chan can’t fault him, considering he doesn’t want him to either and he really didn’t push with enough force to move him even one bit.

Minho leans just slightly away from his lips and opens his mouth to speak, but right that moment Jisung moves one of the blankets aside.

“Oh, hi, hyung.” He looks surprised for a moment, before turning towards Minho. “You could have just said you were making Channie-hyung rest. We can just ask Jeongin if he wants to join us instead.”

Then he drops the blanket and Chan and Minho are alone in their cocoon again. The door closes with a gentle click the next moment.

“Are you trying to get us caught?” Chan asks, but he’s already pushing their lips back together.

“Come on, hyung, he didn’t even notice,” Minho says against his lips, and then doesn’t let him speak more.


	19. Day 18 - A hunter who keeps chasing only dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan hears, "In front of us, in the skirt," and doesn't realise that _he's_ the one in front of them in the skirt. And clearly the person saying it doesn't either - cue embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1k words.
> 
> This as been waiting to be written for MONTHS (I think since like February?) and in the end it only took like a day - procrastination at its finest.

> _Grab that dream oh_  
>  _Before running away because of not being able to do it_  
>  _We shoot 'em and we blow 'em down_
> 
> ALL IN - Stray Kids

Chan is half asleep on his feet from almost pulling another all nighter and only sleeping 2 hours, waiting in line at the coffee shop. It’s the one at the center of the university campus, and it’s only 8 in the morning, meaning there are a lot more people there than Chan is used to.

He’s been standing in line for 5 minutes already, and there are still 2 people in front of him before he can order. Usually he wouldn't be here before class, as he doesn't like coffee one bit, but he's absolutely dead on his feet and will do anything to wake up enough to be able to pay attention in class. Only the fact that he's staring at his phone keeps him awake currently.

(Oh, how wonderful it would be to have a good night's sleep.)

He doesn't react or look up when the door opens, as it has done so every few seconds since he stepped inside. He does think he recognises one of the voices that come in, but he pushes it to the back of his mind when he can't figure it out. He's probably just too tired.

The two people keep on discussing whatever they were before they came in, Chan zoning out most of it, until a lull in their conversation spikes his curiosity.

After another moment, the voice that he doesn't recognise says, "Sungie, if I wasn't gay…" He trails off with something implied, and Chan really can't help but wonder what. It's none of his business, really, but his sudden interest has woken him up more than he thought possible.

"What now?" asks the voice that he should remember who it belongs to.

"In front of us, in the skirt." His voice is slightly lower now, probably so whoever they're talking about can't hear them (personally, Chan thinks he's not doing a very good job at that - if they're really talking about someone standing in the queue, they can for sure hear them).

"Yeah, what about her?" asks the familiar voice, but he doesn't sound particularly interested in his friend's discovery.

"What do you mean 'what about her'?" the friend hisses, sounding thoroughly offended. "Do you not see that skirt?!"

The familiar guy just sighs. "I thought you were gay, hyung."

"I am," his friend says, "but I can still appreciate a hella good looking skirt with those legs."

Chan takes a step forward in the queue, tempted to glance back to see who they're talking about. The friend's passionate talk about the skirt certainly has him interested, wondering if it really is as nice a skirt as he's making it out to be. If it is, he might just have to ask the girl where she found the skirt so he could get one for himself.

Well, it might not be black, though, Chan realises, whatever he was looking at on his phone forgotten. Sure, he can absolutely appreciate colourful clothing, but it's not really something for him. He's absolutely certain that he can count the amount of clothing he owns that isn't blank on just two hands.

While he's been deep into skirt thoughts, the person before him has ordered, so he steps up to the counter, completely undecided on what to order. What would taste the least like coffee? Caffe latte is mostly just milk, right?

He places his order, but adds an iced peach tea, too, in case he really can't drink the coffee. Or just to wash the taste out.

He's lost track of the two guys' conversation by the time he's done, so he steps to the side and goes back to his phone. He keeps one eye on the people that come over to wait after ordering, looking for the skirt. There is none.

Which is about the time that he realises that _he_ is wearing a skirt. That…

Sure, there are gender roles dictating that he shouldn't be wearing a skirt, dictating that if you see someone in a skirt, they're a girl. And yet… Chan frowns, annoyed despite not actually feeling offended one bit. They weren't able to see his face — what with him having his back to them the whole time — and the friend _had_ complimented his legs.

Chan’s name is called and he looks up, locking eyes with a guy he most certainly recognises, and a guy he's seen around a few times.

"Chan-hyung?" Jisung practically squeaks, his voice several octaves higher than normal, when Chan steps up to get his tea and coffee.

He probably should have realised it was Jisung, considering his friend had called him "Sungie". He decides not to mention the embarrassing part where he forgot his voice — he'll just blame it on sleep deprivation.

"Hi, Jisung," Chan says, trying to come up with something witty to add, considering his friend is staring at Chan with wide eyes. "So, your friend likes skirts?"

Jisung's friend — Chan thinks his name might be Minho — looks away right away, his cheeks painted a bright crimson. It's really pretty.

"I thought you didn't hear," Jisung mutters, but it sounds more like he's trying to convince himself of that.

"You were speaking kind of loud," Chan says, and steps with them to the side to wait for their order. "I don't mind, though, so don't worry."

He gives Minho as bright a smile as he can this early in the morning when he turns to look up at him.

"Oh," Minho breathes out, the colouring on his cheeks letting up somewhat. "I'm- uh, sorry, I guess?"

Jisung nudges him in the side with his elbow. "You're absolutely shit at apologising, hyung."

Chan chuckles and says, "It's all right, you really don't have to apologise."

Minho gives a little nod, but he doesn't look properly convinced.

Chan glances down at his phone and sees the time, cursing before putting it in his pocket. "I really have to get going now, see you later!"

They both give him a wave goodbye, although Jisung does it definitely more enthusiastically. Chan gets it — he, too, would want to sink through the floor if that happened to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (( I did the translations of the lyrics this time, so it may not be 100% accurate.  
> The original lyrics:  
> 夢だけ追い続けるハンター  
> その夢 Grab oh  
> 出来ないまま逃げ出す前に  
> We shoot 'em and we blow 'em down))


	20. Day 19 - It’s in my head, making me dizzy, go away hey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan has just gotten over his cold, so it should be all fine to get all assignments done. And yet, the itching just under his skin tells him that he's not doing _enough_ , and he's _slipping behind_ , and everything is just _too much._ Minho barges in uninvited and forces him to just take it one thing at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1.3k words.
> 
> A bit of angst for those who like it (me). Might be seen as containing some depressive themes? Not sure how exactly to explain this one.

> _I’m breaking it all down_  
>  _All the sources of things_  
>  _That trapped me in darkness and tortured me_  
>  _I try to escape but there’s no answer_
> 
> Voices - Stray Kids

Chan doesn’t necessarily get sick often, but when he does it hits him hard. Not that it has to be that he’s really sick, but rather than he can’t deal with not having the energy to do things. It was only a cold, but it left him feeling sluggish all day, and since he lives alone, he ended up not doing much. He couldn’t bring himself to gather enough energy to cook or do dishes, so now that he’s finally getting healthier…

He's left with no energy, not even hungry despite not eating properly for a week. There's dishes piled up in his sink and on the small counter, so he doesn't even have any place to cook until he's done the dishes.

He stares at it over breakfast, a feeling of dread nestled just behind his heart. He feels like he’s behind on three different major things, making his skin buzz with stress. He isn’t actually — his teachers had been very accommodating when he’d sent them emails to explain that he’d gotten sick, so he still has at least one more week to finish those assignments.

Chan leaves his cereal bowl on the table and collects his bag before hurrying to class. The weather is nice, a refreshing smell of autumn in the air that he hasn’t felt in almost a week.

He returns home in the afternoon with two new assignments and 10 unread texts from his friends. The classroom for the class he shares with Jisung and Changbin had been almost full by the time he showed up, running a few minutes late. He hasn’t talked to them in all the week he was sick, and after the class he’d had to get out, and had been gone before they could talk to him.

His bag makes a worrying clank when he drops it down by the couch but he doesn’t have the emotional energy to acknowledge it. It’s probably just his water bottle, either way, plus, his computer looks fine when he takes it out to get started on assignments.

The most pressing assignment gets his attention first, and he finishes it feeling accomplished. Until he looks at the clock and realises that it’s been hours and he still hasn’t eaten anything since that morning, and he really should have finished at least one more assignment.

The computer is pushed to the side and he groans as he hides his face in his hands. He’s slipping behind, despite doing everything he can not to. It’s not like he’s lazing behind — Jisung always says Chan is incapable of even doing something like that. There is some truth behind those words, because Chan has to have  _ something _ meaningful to do, or his skin will start to itch with a need to just be  _ productive. _ It’s long been somewhat of a problem for him.

He stands up and heads to the kitchenette to search for some cup noodles, stuffing any worry about getting sick again into a box in his mind. He can’t get sick again, or he will actually go crazy.

He reads through Jisung and Changbin’s messages while eating, intending to answer them as he does. Really, he does, but he can’t seem to focus on what they actually mean, the words mushing together into a soup of letters in his brain.

He goes to sleep without replying.

—

He doesn’t have any classes the next day, so he tries to work on his assignments.

When his phone rings loudly next to him on the couch he startles into awareness, his computer screen blank. Oh.

“Hello?” he answers, not looking at the caller ID.

“I heard from JIsung that you’re not sick anymore,” Minho says. He doesn’t use the word “healthy”, which Chan can hear in his tone is intentional. “He was worried about you, though.”

“I ran a little late,” Chan tries to explain himself, despite not knowing how much MInho actually knows. “I was going to reply to them, but I fell asleep.” It’s not completely a lie, but it’s not the truth either. He’s sure Minho can hear it in his tone.

“Have you had lunch?” Minho asks, and Chan is grateful that he didn’t mention his excuses.

“Uh,” Chan begins, glancing down at his computer, “what time is it?”

Minho sighs, because he knows Chan better than Chan sometimes wants to admit. “It’s 12:30, hyung. Are you at home?”

“Yeah,” Chan says, confused.

In typical Minho fashion, Minho doesn’t explain himself and hangs up.

Chan only sighs, because he’s used to it, and goes back to his assignments.

—

His doorbell rings not even half an hour later.

It’s Minho, because of course it is.

“I brought lunch,” he says, and pushes past Chan inside.

He reaches the kitchenette before Chan can stop him, and gives Chan a  _ look. _

“I haven’t had time yet,” Chan mumbles, knowing there’s no use to try to explain.

Minho places the bag with food on the table and starts taking out boxes of take out. “You know, you can, like, tell us when things get too much.” It’s not scolding at all, the way Jisung or Changbin probably would have said it, simply a statement of fact.

Chan sinks down into one of the chairs at the table, and hums a little instead of answering.

“Eat first and then we’ll do the dishes.” There’s no room for arguing in his voice, so Chan visely keeps his mouth shut and picks up a pair of chopsticks.

They keep mostly silent during the meal, Minho only asking if it tastes good. He doesn’t comment on how quickly Chan scarfs down the food, which Chan is eternally grateful for.

Minho throws away the boxes when they’re done, and turns towards the mountain of dishes. "Do you have a dish rack?”

“No,” Chan shakes his head. He’s been meaning to get one, but it’s been months since he first said that.

“That’s fine,” Minho says, voice gentle,”you can just dry it with a dish towel and put it on the table for the time being.” Then he rolls up his sleeves and starts on the pile in the sink.

Oh, that’s not what Chan had thought when Minho said they would do the dishes, but he goes to fetch a dish towel. He dries each plate and glass and anything else as Minho hands it to him, and sooner than he thought would be possible (or maybe his assessment of time is just very screwed up lately) the counter is empty and the table is filled with clean dishes.

“Now we just put it away,” Minho says, drying his hands, “and then you will  _ rest. _ ”

“I’ve just been sick,” Chan protests, “I’ve rested enough.”

“Being sick is not the rest that you need right now,” Minho scoffs, and takes the stack of plates from Chan’s hands. “You need some rest for your head before you get so consumed by your stress that you don’t know how to get back up to the surface.”

“I have too many assignments, I-”

“That you can continue with tomorrow,” Minho interrupts him, firm. “Your hands are literally shaking, you need to allow yourself some time to actually  _ breathe. _ ”

So Minho drags him to the couch, pulls up a movie on Chan’s computer, and pulls Chan against his chest. He has no way of getting up, but he finds himself slowly relaxing, not wanting to actually get up.

(Before going to sleep he replies to Jisung and Changbin, and the next day he starts anew on the assignments, this time feeling like he’s actually getting somewhere.)


	21. Day 20 - Confused, confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan can't stop thinking about it. Minho's mouth during the truth or dare game, his hand in his hair, his hand on _his neck._  
>  Minho (accidentally) choking him does not help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, yes, I can't believe I'm writing this either!
> 
> This is a continuation of Day 15, I recommend you read that one first!

> _Just wanna get along with you_  
>  _You took a 180 degree turn_  
>  _Don’t need to filter your flaws_
> 
> Wow - Stray Kids

After the … incident, as Chan would like to call it, they decide to put playing the game on hold for some other time. It’s a huge relief for Chan, who can then have an excuse to avoid Minho for at least the rest of the day. He just needs some time to breath, and … calm down. Yes, calming down is all he needs. Then all will be back to normal and he can interact with Minho like usual, and no harm will have come to anyone. Yeah, a perfect plan!

Except, Chan’s traitorous mind keeps playing the scene, particularly the part where Minho drove his thumb into Chan’s throat- Neck, his  _ neck, _ not his throat. No thumb will be going near his throat.

Anyway, the kiss (if that is even enough of a term to describe what Minho did to Chan) keeps playing in Chan's mind. It's extremely distracting, and by the next day Chan has half a mind to keep avoiding Minho, just to see if that will make the thoughts go away.

(He's fully aware they won't, okay? He just wants some calm, and if living in denial will give him that then so be it.)

—

He's making lunch alone in the kitchen when he notices someone else coming in. The next moment they practically jumps on Chan's back. He has just enough time to register that it smells like Minho before his arms are around Chan's neck.

His arms. Around Chan's neck. Minho is choking him.

He's honestly not sure if the breath he chokes on is because of that or the reason his muscles tense up in alarm.

"What are you doing?!" he chokes out (hah, ironic), frantically tapping at Minho's arm. Not because he can't breath, no, he's just panicking.

"Oh, I thought you were Seungminnie," Minho says.

"You just usually go around choking him?!"

"No," Minho scoffs.

He lets up his grip and Chan really would like to not have to examine the fact that he misses it when it's gone, would rather shove that feeling into a box far deep into his mind.

Minho takes a step to the side, and Chan misses his scent as well. (Fuck.)

Chan tries to go back to making lunch, but he’s constantly aware of just where Minho is standing, and almost knicks his finger with the knife cutting vegetables.

“You never kissed it better,” Minho suddenly says

Distracted, Chan asks, “What? Kissed what better?” He lifts his finger up to inspect it, but can’t find a mark. That’s good.

“My tongue. You know, after you bit it.”

Chan chokes on nothing. “You… you want me to kiss it better?” Surely he heard wrong, right? That has to be the only explanation.

Minho hums and steps forward, crowding Chan up against the counter. “It’s the least you can do, since you didn’t even say sorry.”

Chan gulps. Something about the velvety smooth tone Minho is speaking in is making his head spin. He needs to focus, really-

Minho lifts one hand up and rests it on the side of Chan’s neck. “Hyung, will you really not make it better?” He has his head tilted to the side and is looking at Chan with wide eyes, as if he’s trying to make sure Chan pities him, but he can see the smirk fighting to break out on Minho’s lips.

“I-” Chan starts, but is interrupted by Hyunjin appearing in the doorway.

He takes one look at them, mutters, “Nope,” and turns on his heel.

It’s fine. Or, it would be fine, if not for the fact that the surprise of it coupled with Chan turning his head to the side made Minho’s thumb slip to the side and press hard against the very front of Chan’s throat.

(So much for no one putting their thumb near his throat.)

Chan whimpers, and wants to sink through the floor when Minho turns to look at him.

"Oh?" he says, and then  _ actually _ licks his lips. "You like that?"

Chan refuses to answer.

Minho picks up one of the cherry tomatoes Chan has yet to cut, and holds it up in front of Chan’s mouth. “Here.” Then- Then he actually plops it in his own mouth, puckering his lips to show him holding it between his teeth.

“Seriously? Again?"

Minho simply raises his eyebrows at him. "Kiss it better."

Chan closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Will you stop pestering me if I do?"

"Maybe," Minho replies with a smirk that promises anything but compliance. "Just take the tomato."

Fuck. Is Chan really going to do it? (He is. And he would be lying to himself if he said he doesn't want it.)

"Fine," he mutters, sealing his lips over Minho's before he can say anything.

Minho parts his lips, pushing the tomato against Chan's sealed lips. He opens them just enough to accept the tomato, or at least that's what he thinks. Minho pushes his tongue in along it, and when Chan tries to resist, he presses his thumb a little firmer against his throat.

The sound Chan lets out is too loud, too much. He clenches his hands in the fabric of Minho's shirt, intending to push him away, but ends up with him close. Yup, that's some contact, alright. Firm,  _ hard _ contact.

"I need-" Chan pants against Minho's lips.

"Yes, what?" Minho asks, eager, cutting him off before he can continue. "Anything."

His chest is rising and falling rapidly, clearly affected more than he wants to let on.

"Lunch," Chan chokes out, pressing Minho back just a bit. "I need to finish lunch."

Minho's lips goes slack against Chan's, and he takes a small step back. "Oh. Right."

"Yeah."

"Just…" He seems to think for a moment, then slowly lets his hands glide down to settle on Chan's hips. "I can help-"

"No!" Chan interrupts, too quickly. "Not- Not now, not here."

Chan sees the moment the implied meaning registers in Minho's mind, his eyes lightening up with an intense mischief.

"Oh?" The corner of his mouth lifts up in a smirk. "So later, is what you're saying?"

"Fine, but only if you stop it!" Chan says between clenched teeth, batting away Minho's hand trying to slide to the front of his pants. "We're in the  _ kitchen _ !"

"You're no fun," Minho pouts, but actually takes one more step back and lets Chan go back to making lunch.

So. That just happened.

(He tries not to let it distract him, and only just manages to succeed in not cutting himself in the fingers. Small victories.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Help, can this still be considered to be rated T?


	22. Day 21 - But now I’m reaching my hand out to you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan's computer broke, and he just wants cuddles and reassurance from his boyfriend. But Minho is sleeping under his bed, so there's really only one thing he can do. (Yes, join him, he couldn't possibly wake him up.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1k words.
> 
> Continuation of Day 7 and 17, though only vaguely connected.
> 
> Also inspired by Minho's heart kids room and Chan's answer to the last question.

> _I know when I’m with you_   
>  _In the same place, in the same time_   
>  _I can overcome anything_
> 
> I am YOU - Stray Kids

Chan returns to the dorm feeling antsy after his computer had shut down in the middle of him producing, and then had refused to turn on even after he'd connected the power cable. He'd handed it in to the IT department at the company before returning home, and at least they'd said it would be easy to fix and he should have it back as normal the next day.

It's still making his skin buzz with anxiety. He can't help but worry that somehow all his files will have been deleted, despite him having them backed up in two different places. No one ever said anxiety isn't irrational.

He kicks his shoes off when he gets inside, calling out a hello to see who's at home. He hears a reply coming from the living room so he heads there first.

Jeongin is sitting on the couch with a textbook, and seems surprised to see him. "You're early, hyung."

"Yeah, my computer didn't want to work properly. Have you seen Minho?" He's tapping his foot against the floor, not impatiently, but he really can't keep still.

Jeongin seemed to have been about to ask about his computer, but points towards the bedrooms instead. "Hyung went inside his room earlier."

"Thanks," Chan says, already on his way to the room. It's not that he doesn't want to talk to Jeongin, but he needs to do something to ground himself, and he can always count on his boyfriend to help him with that.

He steps inside the room and- falters. The room is empty. He takes one step back outside and calls at Jeongin, "Are you sure? He's not here."

"Yeah," Jeongin replies, not looking up. "He went in there and hasn't come out since. I'm sure."

Chan frowns and steps back inside, taking a look around the room to see if he's missed anything. The blankets hanging as curtains by Minho's bunk aren't drawn close, so he's not there. He's not on any of the other beds either, so the only other place he could be is under the beds.

Surely he's not, right?

Despite that, Chan bends down to look, and of course, there Minho is under his bed. He's on his stomach, head resting on his arms. Chan can't see if he's awake or not, so he does the only sensible thing and crawls under the bed to join Minho.

"Hi," he says, softly, not wanting to wake him up in case he's asleep. Minho doesn't stir, so Chan snuggles closer, pressing himself against his boyfriend's side. He'd rather have his arm around him, but this will have to make do for the time being.

He lays there for a while, trying to focus on the heat coming from Minho's body rather than letting his thoughts run wild. Minho is safe, his mind right now isn't.

As much as he wants to let Minho sleep, the itch right under his skin is starting to get too much. He nudges Minho's shoulder, trying to wake him up carefully, slowly. Minho stirs a moment later, blinking his eyes open and seeming confused for a moment.

"Oh, hi," he says, voice still slurred from sleep, "what are you doing here?"

"You were asleep," Chan says, trying to pull Minho's arm around him now that he's awake.

"Well, I know that, but that doesn't explain why you're also under the bed.”

“I didn’t want to wake you,” Chan mumbles, giving up on getting Minho’s arm around him and instead burying his face in his shoulder.

“You also didn’t have to join me just because of that.” Minho’s starting to sound suspicious, like he knows something is up.

“I thought you might get cold,” Chan says, hoping to distract him.

“Hyung. Just tell me what happened.”

Chan sighs and closes his eyes. “My computer broke. The IT department says they’ll be able to fix it, but…”

“You can’t help but worry.”

Chan hums as answer, burying his nose further into Minho’s shirt and inhaling. He smells like home.

“It will be fine,” Minho says, turning slightly in the small space to be able to lay his arm over Chan’s back. “Don’t think about it now.”

“Okay.” He can relax now, with Minho grounding him (quite literally) down.

Chan thinks they might have fallen back asleep, when he stirs because of a voice in the doorway. “Channie-hyung, are you here?” It sounds like Jisung, but he hears footsteps leaving towards the living room before he can wake himself enough to be able to answer. He can vaguely hear two voices float in, and tries to focus on them to wake up.

“Hey, Jeongin, have you seen Chan-hyung?”

“Yeah, he and Minho are in their room.” Jeongin sounds distracted, so he’s probably still doing school work.

“No, they’re not, I just checked.”

“Well, they went in there hours ago. Jisung-hyung, do you need to get your vision checked? How can you miss two whole people?”

“They’re not there! Come check yourself!” Jisung’s voice grows louder as he comes closer, and soon a second pair of footsteps follows.

“See?” Jisung says, standing just inside the doorway. When Chan turns his head he can just about make out two pairs of feet standing there. “They’re not here!”

“Well, they have to, because they never came back out,” Jeongin protests, sounding disinterested. “Have you checked under the beds?”

“They’re not gonna be under the-” Jisung says, even though he sinks down on his knees to look.

“Hi,” Chan says, finally having found his voice again. “Did you need something?”

Jisung only blinks at him. “I was gonna ask how your computer is, but I feel like I should take it another time.”

Then he’s standing up and dragging Jeongin out of the room before Chan has a chance to answer. Whatever, they’ll just talk about it some other time, Chan thinks, and turns his head back towards Minho.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't already know about it, check out [October Sparkles](https://twitter.com/MinchanFicfest)! It's a minchan fic fest, claiming ends tomorrow (24th October) and there's still so many unclaimed prompts!
> 
> Also, there's only 2 (two!) days left of this collection!! I can't believe it's almost over!


	23. Day 22 - Sensing home on your tongue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As if everything had been a dream, nothing happens when Minho steps inside the mushroom ring. With a sense that he's missing something, he dreams of Chan, of being there, of coming home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1k words.
> 
> Continuation of Day 6 and 16.
> 
> I adore this au so much! (Though that can be said for like all the fics in this collection.)

> _My time right now_  
>  _My tempo is more expensive than gold_  
>  _I don’t go follow the time_  
>  _You can just follow me_
> 
> The tortoise and the Hare - Stray Kids

Minho is staring at the sky, a light breeze jostling a few strands of grass to tickle his ear. He doesn't know how he got here — the last thing he remembers is talking to Chan in the pond of a magical forest. He told him, "welcome home," and then there's nothing.

A weight settles on his chest.

He raises his head to look, and finds the hare settled on his chest, it's beady little eyes seeming to stare straight into his soul.

"Hi?" Minho comments, afraid that any movement will scare away the hare.

The hare twitches its nose, and jumps off his chest. It jumps away a bit, then stops, and turns ro stare at him. Huh. Normal hares don't do that.

Minho rises to follow it, feeling in his gut that that's what it wants.

It jumps away again, this time towards the mushroom ring.

Yeah, definitely not a normal hare.

it jumps inside the ring and disappears. Minho follows and… Nothing. Nothing happens. He's simply standing inside a ring of mushrooms in the grass below his building. He could almost believe that everything that had happened before was a dream if it wasn't because he had  _ seen _ the hare disappear before his very eyes.

—

He dreams of stepping forward and taking Chan's hand, being pulled into his embrace. The Chan of his dream has strong arms, and the hug he gives Minho is warm and safe, feels like coming home after being away for a long time.

When Chan kisses him, Minho wakes up in a cold sweat, breath quick and an overwhelming feeling of longing settled over him.

—

The next morning he notices that someone has been and cut the grass. There’s not even a single trace of mushrooms left, and when he steps to where he’s fairly certain the ring was, nothing happened.

He’s not entirely sure what, or even if, he expected anything to happen.

—

"Hyung, are you alright?"

"Huh?" Minho startles, realising that he's been zoning out in the dance practise room and now Felix and Hyunjin are staring at him.

Hyunjin raises an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." When Felix continues to loon sceptical he adds, "I'm just a little distracted, nothing you have to worry about."

—

He dreams of a sweet voice curling like smoke around his mind, begging him for something. He can't decipher the words, but wakes up with tears tracking down his cheeks.

—

It's getting too cold for wasps, and that coupled with him keeping his balcony door means he hasn't seen one in a while. Instead, there are a family of magpies that has settled around his and his neighbor's balcony. They're probably lured there by the trash she keeps leaving out on her balcony, and soon follows a family of tits.

He doesn't mind seeing them, quite welcomes seeing them each morning on his balcony railing, considering he's not using it either way.

That is until they begin pulling insulation out of some kind of hole in the wall right above his balcony that he hasn't noticed before. There are panels all along the side of the wall at that height, so probably there was once on there too, covering the hole.

—

_ Minho. _

He's floating in honey, being pulled apart, pulled away. He isn't sure what he's being pulled away from, only certain that he has ro get back, has to return.

_ Love, come home to me, please. _

He fights against the honey, but like quicksand he's just being pulled away quicker the more he struggles.

—

Minho almost considers not sleeping, if that is what it will take to not have to dream, not have to wake up in a cold sweat longing for something he can't even remember.

He wraps himself in a thick blanket and steps out on his balcony, trying not to scowl at the way the moon is smiling down at him. There's a feeling of a memory at the very back of his mind, of standing together under a blanket, gazing up at the moon. it feels like home, and he despises it.

—

_ How could you go there in that form? _

The voice is desperate now, but Minho can't answer. Every time he opens his mouth it's filled with honey and he chokes.

_ Love, please help me come to you. _

—

Hyunjin and Felix are starting to get seriously worried about him, he can tell. Not yet to say anything about it, but they keep throwing him little looks when they think he isn't looking.

(He always is.)

—

There's a boy standing naked outside his building when he returns home from practise.

No, not a boy, a man, and when he gets closer he realises it's Chan.

"Minho," he gasps, sounding as if seeing Minho is all the oxygen he needs.

Minho shrugs his coat off and drapes it over Chan's shoulders before unlocking the door and pulling him inside. He drags him up the three flights of stairs and then inside his apartment. Chan is shivering, but he seems to be warming up.

"I've tried so long," he says, teeth clattering together, "to reach you, talk to you. Have you not heard me?"

"I was floating in honey," Minho answers, somehow knowing that there is more behind that then it simply having been a dream.

Chan curses and says something that sounds like gibberish but probably means something important. Minho's body tenses at the mention of it, as if it knows something his mind has forgotten. At this point that feels like a very real possibility.

"I've missed you so much," Chan says, with tears in his eyes.

Although Minho can't remember ever having known Chan so closely, he knows with every fiber of his being that it is true for him as well. "Me too."

Chan sobs, and pulls Minho into his arms, the coat falling off his shoulders. "I don't ever want to lose you again."

Minho doesn't either.

Chan kisses him, and Minho realises that home isn't a place. Home is a person, an embrace, a kiss, a taste on his tongue.

(Now he just needs to remember it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one day left I literally can't believe it - I'm gonna miss writing this so much...


	24. Day 23 - All of the memories of loving you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Water is wet, the sun is hot, and Bang Chan is in love with Lee Minho._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ca 1.8k words.
> 
> Continuation of Day 1 where they finally has a conversation about what Chan said and what they are to each other.
> 
> Uh... this one might also be on the verge of being rated higher than T?

> _I remember the day we first met  
>  The shy smiles and the spilling sunlight  
>  I knew, just by looking into your eyes  
>  That we are one, that we are one_
> 
> Story That Won't End - Stray Kids

Right. When he’d felt Minho form the word “later” against his lips as they kissed, he’d vowed that they were gonna talk about what he’d said. And yet here they are, more than 20 days later and they still haven’t talked about it.

It’s all Chan’s fault, he’s aware of that. He’d avoided having that conversation for the rest of the party, which Minho had respected. And then the next day, when Minho had come over with his actual present, he’d tried to bring it up, but Chan just kinda of … avoided the subject.

And Minho is not one to insist on talking about things, and certainly not feelings. Not if there isn’t a pressing reason that a talk needs to be had, or the other person involved doesn’t seem to want to talk. He’s considerate like that. (Except when the subject isn’t very serious and Minho insists just to watch his friends suffer. It’s times like that that Chan questions how and why he fell in love with Minho.)

Chan is at Minho’s place early. He’d promised to help set up some things before the rest of their friends arrives, Minho having gone home to his family the day before and therefore hadn’t had time to do anything. Not that they’re really getting much done, though. Minho had wanted to show Chan something on his phone, which led to where they are now: cuddled up against each other on the couch watching cat videos together. Minho is leaning back against Chan’s chest, with Chan having his legs either side of Minho, and his chin resting on the crown of Minho’s head. It’s more intimate than they’ve been for a long time. Almost a month (if one ignores the making out they did on Chan’s birthday).

Having his nose invaded by Minho’s oh so sweet smell is very distracting, however, so when Minho makes a comment about the cat they’re (Minho only, really) watching, Chan can only hum in answer. Minho doesn’t seem to notice, too distracted with cooing at the cats.

A pang of longing passes through Chan, almost knocking the breath right out of his chest. He doesn’t want any more than to kiss him silly in that very moment, but that would be weird. They don’t kiss just any time, any place, even if Changbin would probably like to protest against that.

(Like the first time they kissed, in the hallway of the holiday home Changbin had taken Chan to along with his family and Chan had convinced him to let him take Minho along. Changbin had been sulky for the rest of that weekend, only glaring at Minho and barely even talking to Chan.)

Chan tightens his arms around Minho, an instinct that he can’t push down whenever he’s overcome with love for Minho.

(Like when he’d first realised he loves Minho, the two of them like this, right on this couch, watching a movie that Chan can’t remember anymore. It had been at a point in time where Chan had already lost count of how many times they had kissed. It hadn’t been like a revelation, more a sense of understanding overcoming him. Water is wet, the sun is hot, and Bang Chan is in love with Lee Minho.)

To distract himself, Chan leans forward to be able to whisper into Minho’s ear. “Is there anything you want? Since it’s your birthday.” His voice comes out a lot hoarser than he intended, and the smile Minho gives him when he turns his head to the side slightly is absolutely mischievous.

“Oh?” Minho practically purrs. “What are you offering?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Chan protests, but kisses the smug little smile right off of Minho’s mouth.

“ _ That’s not what I meant  _ my ass,” Minho mutters against his lips, like a pretty much identical repeat from Chan’s birthday.

“Shut up and accept my affection,” Chan mutters back, tugging at his hair to get him to move into a better angle.

“Oh, is that what this is now?” Minho questions, biting onto and pulling at Chan’s bottom lip.

“It always has been,” Chan can’t help but admit, and Minho’s breath hitches.

“You’re just joking.”

He licks into Chan’s mouth, not giving him any opportunity to protest. And of course Chan loses all rational train of thought, his hands instead trailing down to grip onto Minho’s hips. He pulls him closer at the same time as Minho twists his body around and grinds down into Chan. They both gasp into each other’s mouth, their conversation completely forgotten in favour of chasing after their pleasure.

When the doorbell rings a moment later they pull away with twin gasps. Minho gets up on unsteady legs, and has to adjust himself in his pants so he’s not too obvious.

“I see you’d rather have been left alone with your boyfriend,” Changbin comments as he sits down on the couch next to where Chan is trying to make his boner not so obvious.

“We’re not dating,” Chan says, on autopilot from how many times he’s already said that.

Changbin raises an eyebrow at him. “Don’t pull that on me when you’re the one who literally told me.”

“Technically I only said it was bold of you to  _ assume _ that we aren’t,” Chan says, giving up on trying to hide it and instead pulls a pillow into his lap.

“Just tell him that you’ve been in love with him for ages,” Changbin sighs with an eyeroll. “Literally how hard can it be?”

“This?” Chan snickers. “Pretty hard.”

Changbin whacks him hard on his arm, so quickly that Chan doesn’t even have time to stop him. “I hate you. Absolutely despise you.”

“No you don’t!” Chan calls after him when he leaves, probably to go get something to drink.

Chan stays seated for a while, willing himself to calm down before he stands up. Guests keep coming, though nowhere near as many as at Chan's party. But it's enough that Minho is preoccupied with greeting them and being congratulated. Chan doesn't want to intrude.

He's just gotten up in search of the drink table (he helped Minho set it up, how has he already forgotten where they put it?) when someone grips onto the back of his shirt and pulls him backwards. It can really only be Minho, there's no one else there who would actually dare do it.

Minho pulls him into his bedroom, closing the door by pressing Chan up against it.

"I've decided that since it's my birthday I can demand that we talk about what you said at your party."

_ Oh. _ They really should, shouldn't they?

"Okay," he says, making his muscles go slack under Minho's hands to let him know that he's not going to fight against it.

Minho notices and snorts, "Then why have you avoided it this whole time?" He steps back from Chan and sits down on his bed, legs folded.

"I don't know," Chan says, rubbing the back of his neck as he sits down next to Minho. "I guess I didn't know how to say that I'm in love with you."

"Just like that," Minho says, pushing against his shoulder until Chan is pinned underneath him. "You write lyrics all the time, how hard can it be to just use your words?"

"I didn't know how you would react." And he doesn't still, staring up at Minho's eyes trying to find an answer there inside them.

"That's fair," Minho hums, leaning down to give him a quick peck. "But that's almost always the case with confessing." He slides his hands almost excruciatingly slow up Chan's arms, briefly squeezing his biceps, before sliding his finger between Chan's above his head.  _ Oh. _

"I have a lot of affection for you, too."

Chan squints his eyes at him, trying to judge the hidden meaning behind his eyes. "Are you purposefully avoiding actually saying what you mean?"

"No," Minho says and kisses him again. "You just never listen to what I actually say."

Offended, Chan protests, "Hey, I do!"

Minho bumps their noses together, and licks his own lips. "No. If you had, you would know that I've been telling you since the week after we met that I would 100% date you if you asked me."

_ What? _ Minho has to be kidding, right?

"What?" Chan manages, but it's not more than a squeak. "Really?"

"Yes, really," Minho sighs, and kisses him again, heavier, deeper.

"Oh," Chan breathes out against his lips, in a brief pause asking, "Will you date me then?"

"I feel like I shouldn't have to answer," Minho says against his lips, "but since you seem to not be catching on… Yes, I will date you."

He bites Chan's bottom lip when he dives back in, making Chan arch up against him with a moan. Minho grinds back down against him, drawing another moan from both their lips. Chan is tempted to let him continue —  _ so _ very tempted — but there's a party dedicated to Minho happening on the other side of the door that is opening.

The door that is opening!

"Minho-" Chan intends to warn him, but it comes out more like a moan, completely breathless as Minho bites yet again at his bottom lip.

"Mm?" Minho pulls back slightly to look down at him, a question in the arch of his eyebrow.

Hyunjin gets to it before Chan has a chance to explain. "Um, I just got here…" He's not looking at them, and looks like he wants to be anywhere but there. "I wanted to congratulate Minho-hyung, but I can-"

He's interrupted by Changbin shouting from the living room, "Yah, Minho-hyung! This is your party, you should be out here greeting people!"

Minho whips around to glare, making Hyunjin cower in the doorway. Chan is pretty sure that Changbin is somewhere Minho can't see him, but he can't tell for certain considering Minho is blocking most of his view of what's happening outside the bedroom.

"I'll just…" Hyunjin squeaks, and scrambles to escape the room.

Minho groans when the door closes, letting his head fall forward to rest their foreheads together.

"Later," he says, and Chan can't help but think about when he said it during Chan's party. "We'll finish this later. When we're alone and no one will interrupt us."

"Okay," Chan agrees, even though all he wants is to pull Minho back down and kiss him silly. "Later."

He says it like a promise to them both, and vows to actually follow through with it quicker this time. As soon as they're alone.

> _The words I love you might be a bit typical_  
>  _But I can’t save those words_  
>  _Because I love you more than anything in the world_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin-walking-in-on-minchan trend pls!
> 
> You know, I accidentally made these as equally devided between POVs as is possible with an uneven amount of fics: Chan 11 and Minho 12. I can barely believe that this is the last part and this is done now... I'm kinda gonna miss it - but! I'm part of the minchan fic fest [October Sparkle](https://twitter.com/MinchanFicfest)! So I'll have plenty to write~ (I know I have my wips too, I will really try to update them soon)

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [tumblr](https://s-kiz.tumblr.com) (s-kiz) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/bangpeachchan) (bangpeachchan)!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Saying that I want more, this is what I live for](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27690995) by [s-kiz (pigalle)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pigalle/pseuds/s-kiz)




End file.
